Breaking Point
by TolkienGirl052
Summary: General Clara Lauren Cole has been in the universe of her favorite cartoon for almost 4 years. She thought it would get easier. Instead, loosing her men, her brothers, her family, got much harder. And with her memory of future events slipping away more and more every day, Clara doesn't know how much longer she can hold herself together.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Nor do I have any affiliation with Lucasfilm, or anything to do with the Star Wars franchise. I do, however, own my character.

* * *

*****WARNING! This story contains heavy spoilers for Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 6, ie. The Lost Missions. If you have not seen it and do not want it spoiled, this is not the right story for you. If you have seen it, or just don't give a damn about spoilers, enjoy.*****

* * *

**Note: **

This story is one piece of a bigger one I've been trying to work on. So far, I have half of a 'first' chapter, which is to say Season 1. I hope this is alright, but feel free to message me or comment with _**constructive **_criticism. No flames please. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it.


	2. Chapter 2

_I'll never, ever forget that day. The day that will haunt me forever._

_The day Fives died._

_The day I realized everything I'd done, everything I'd tried to change, had been for nothing._

_The day Order 66 was uncovered, then smothered as quickly as the spark of a fire._

_The day I lost hope._

* * *

_Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Don't be late! Don't be late!_

Curses in every language I knew scrolled through my mind as I ran at a dead sprint through the long corridors of the _Brigadier_, following its many twists and turns as I made my way to the bridge. Breath coming out in heaving gasps, I struggled to push myself faster. Almost colliding with a trooper as I rounded a corner, I managed to grab his arms and spin him away from me in order to avoid sending us both to the ground. He stumbled, somewhat disoriented as I kept going, throwing an apology over my shoulder as I laughed.

Grinning, I slowed my pace a little as my favorite music from back home began to blare through my earphones. The Scottish inspired, upbeat track 'Fate and Destiny' from Disney's Brave, gave me renewed energy. I started dancing down the hall instead of running. Smirking, I rolled between two troops as they came around another corner, no idea I was coming. Startled, they tried to move out of the way but I was already off again, shoving myself up from a kneeling position. Twirling and cartwheeling down the final stretch of hallway, I came to a stop in front of the doors to the bridge.

I took out my headphones, stuffed my IPod back into my pocket and tried to make it look like I hadn't just run the Boston Marathon. I racked my fingers through my clean, newly auburn-dyed hair and pulled it back into a messy bun. Straightening my jean jacket and grey half-button down dress shirt, I hiked up my beige jeans and tightened my dark brown belt. I rolled up the sleeves on my jacket, then reached out a pressed the button to open the door.

It slid open and I strode onto the bridge where Anakin and Rex were waiting at the transmissions terminal, holograms of sisters and Jedi Masters Tiplar and Tiplee across from them. A hologram of the Separatist controlled planet of Ringovinda, and the space station that surrounded the entire planet like a giant metal planetary ring, was being projected above the terminal. They all looked up as I walked in, Rex giving me a small smile as I came to stand beside him and the ongoing conversation continued. I did my best to smile back, but in truth, I was dreading the mission that lay before us.

"At least I'm not _**that **_late this time." I told him under my breath. His smile widened at that remark, but faded back to seriousness when Anakin looked over at me.

"What does out intel say Clara?" He asked. Pressing a few buttons on the terminal, the hologram zoomed in on the station itself and began to rotate.

"From what the scout teams have reported, the whole station is completely under Separatist control. The droids are dug in deep along every major corridor," I lit up the space station hallways under enemy control in red, "and in the station's eight hangars." I lit them up in red as well. "We estimate at least ten thousand spread out throughout the station. Now, there are two ways we can do this. There are access ports all along the outer hull, spacing of about 25 meters apart." I lit them up in blue. "It'll be tight, but that's the best way to get in undetected while they engage the fleet."

"And the other option?" Master Tiplee, her distinctly Irish accent sharp. Glancing up at her, I smiled. I wasn't sure what species she and her sister were - and no one online had figured it out back home - but they were kind, and intelligent, and skilled warriors.

"A full frontal assault on the secondary hangar. If, and I stress the 'if', we can seize control of that, we can push outwards into the rest of the station from there." I explained, lighting up the secondary hangar in gold.

"That seems like the wisest course of action." Master Tiplar advised. "Though we loose the element of surprise, it gives us a strong offensive."

"Looks like were going in the hard way then." Anakin agreed, but I sighed heavily, turning their attention back to me as I bowed my head and shifted my weight, leaning heavily on the terminal.

"We have...another problem." I pressed another button and a hologram of a familiar symbol came up, replacing the planet. I looked around to gage the reaction. Only Anakin recognized it, and his expression became one of confusion, anger and maybe a little fear. "One of the men found this painted in a hangar." I bit my lip and took a deep breath. "Its the personal insignia of Admiral Trench."

"Didn't we - " Anakin started, but I cut him off.

"Yes. Yes, we did. I don't know how, but apparently three torpedoes blowing up his bridge wasn't enough to kill the bastard." I got blank looks from Tiplar, Tiplee and Rex. "Admiral Trench was spearheading the blockade around Christophsis during their assault on the planet. We destroyed his ship, and thought we'd killed him as well. Evidently not. He's the one leading the droid occupation. And let me tell you, he's not going to give it up without a fight."

Anakin grimaced, then turned to me again. "Clara, Rex, have the men ready as soon as we drop out of hyperspace."

"Yes, sir." Rex nodded, and I led the way out of the bridge, leaving the three Jedi to discuss the details of the plan. He fell into step beside me as we headed for the hangar, where the squad leaders were waiting.

"This ought to be fun, eh Rex?" I piped up, enthusiasm masking my uneasiness. He chuckled and shook his head.

"There's no getting you down, is there ma'am?" He asked.

"I like to see the glass as half-full in cases like this. Instead of half-empty, which it normally is." I smirked, giving a shrug. "I'm not absolutely positive can pull it off, but we can sure as hell try. We came, we saw, we kicked some ass!" I did a dramatic fist-pump to give emphasis to that statement. I saw Rex roll his eyes at my child-like attitude, but he was still smiling. We'd grown a lot closer over the past few months, and we could both easily be relaxed around each other without worry or unprofessionalism. I gave a girly giggle and nudged him playfully with my shoulder. "Oh, hey! Guess what?"

He raised an eyebrow, smile widening. "I don't know. What?"

I scuffed the ground with the toe of my shoe. "My birthday's in nine days. I'll be twenty."

Rex gave me a shocked look. "Really?"

A smile danced across my lips. "Yeah. I got here when I was seventeen. It's been a long three years but..." I glanced over at him. "I wouldn't give it up for anything."

"Well then," Rex's expression became slightly mischievous, something he'd picked up from Anakin, "we'll have to celebrate."

My eyes widened but before I can reply, we both realize that we've made it to the hangar. The doors open with a hiss, and I quickly get in the last word. "Deal!" I laughed as we approached the gunships. Fives, Kix, Tup and Master Tiplee's commander, Doom, perked up as we approached. My spirit fell when I realized this invasion was going to cost us a lot of men. I plopped down on one of the shipping crates and half-heartedly listened to Rex explain the plan. A massive frontal assault on the station, taking the gunships in while the fleet kept the enemy occupied in order to secure one of the secondary hangars.

I stayed where I was as the squad leaders went off to rally their men. I noticed Rex give me a saddened and concerned look out of the corner of my eye, but neither of us said anything. He put a hand on my shoulder as he walked past, but the comforting gesture barely registered in my mind. The hangar became chaotic as the gunships and fighters were prepped for launch but no one paid me much mind. A worried glance here and there. They all knew that my ability to remember what I knew was slipping. Now, I was too focused on trying to remember this one. The plan, the location, the people involved...it all seemed familiar. But it was like reaching out for the wind. It slipped through my fingers whenever I thought I had a firm grip on what was going on.

A small clatter knocked me from my thoughts. Looking up, I found that further down the hangar, Tup had dropped his rifle and was holding a hand to his head. Furrowing my brow in concern, I pushed myself up and wove my way through the hangar towards him. I placed a hand on his shoulder but he barely reacted to my sudden presence. "Tup?" I leaned down slightly to look him in the eye better. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes ma'am, I'm fine." He gave a small groan that told me otherwise.

"You sure?" I pressed gently.

"I just...I don't know. I-I just don't feel like myself ma'am." He stammered.

"Do you want to head down to med-bay?" I suggested understandingly, giving a soft smile. He sighed and dropped his hand, lifting his head and finally meet my gaze. He seemed a little unfocused, like he was trying to fight off a dizzy spell, but other than that he appeared to be alright.

"Naw, ma'am. I-I'll be fine." He bent down and picked up his weapon.

"Okay..." I wasn't so sure about that, but I let it slide for the time being. "You let me know if it gets worse, understand?"

"Of course, ma'am." I smiled and patted his shoulder before turning and making my way over to the gunship I was supposed to be aboard. Rex and Anakin were waiting when I got there, just as there was a hard jolt. We were all knocked off our feet as the fleet was bombarded by the station's cannons. I hit the deck on my back and rolled over, groaning at the ache in my head and right shoulder. Holding a hand to the back of my head, I sat up and looked around. If before was chaos, this was hell. I almost got trampled as pilots raced to their Z-95 Starfighters.

I scrambled to my feet as the fighters began to launch, and the battle for Ringovinda Station commenced.

We raced into the gunship, and the blast doors shut with a hiss no sooner had my heel cleared the metal floor. Submerged in sudden darkness, and coupled with the suddenly weightless feeling of taking off, I almost panicked. I searched the darkness with my hand, which I couldn't see. I bumped into someone else's hand, and they immediately took mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze. A smile flickered across my expression as I held fast to Rex. He knew how much I hated flying in the gunships. I let go as the overhead lights flickered on, bathing us all in a red glow. I closed my eyes and breathed slowly as the sound of explosions and blaster fire rang loudly outside, the ship shaking and trembling with every blast.

"ETA, 1 minute!" The pilot announced. "Lock and load boys!"

Taking my darksaber from my belt, I let my thumb hover over the switch. I felt more than heard us pass through the hangar's ray shields. The light suddenly turned a bright green, and the doors opened. I jumped out from where the gunship was hovering about twenty feet in the air and landed on my feet, knees loose to absorb the impact. I ignited my darksaber as Anakin landed beside me, cyan blade flashing as the droids in the hangar began to fire on us. Five more gunships landed, and Masters Tiplee and Tiplar joined the battle with their battalion. Deflecting the shots aimed at me and the men around me, including Rex, we pressed forwards into the fray, determined to take the station. As we fought, my uneasiness grew.

_Why do I have a bad feeling about this?_


	3. Chapter 3

"Push forward!"

Blue and red lasers created a thick blizzard in the air as we fought to force the droids back. We were gaining ground quickly as we kept moving closer and closer to our target. Men with riot shields advanced behind us, providing almost impenetrable protection from the onslaught of enemy fire. Droids and men alike littered the ground, the wounded being left to die slowly until the medics brought up the rear after the worst of the fighting was over. I helped where I could, but mostly remained beside Anakin, carving us a path through the turquoise-lit metal halls.

In the end, taking the hangar had been easy. But we'd lost a lot of good men. It had been a difficult five days. We were stuck in a deadlock, neither side loosing of gaining any ground. Morale was low. Casualties were increasing rapidly with every battle. Our fleet was locked in heavy combat with the Separatists, so reinforcements were a problem. In other words, we were either in hell or damn close to it.

"Fives, watch out!" I heard someone yell, and glanced back to see CT-5385, Tup, shove ARC-5555, Fives, to the ground. Spinning around, I sliced the head off the droid that had shot at them, then looked back again to see if my closest friends were alright.

"Thanks brother. I owe ya one." Fives said as Tup helped him to his feet.

"You owe me a lot more than one." Tup joked as they continued fighting. Satisfied that they were okay, I upped my attack, matching Anakin's style of fighting. I clashed swords with a Commando droid captain, but kicked it back, spun around and sliced it in half.

A set of doors opened up ahead and we made quick work of the droids inside the secondary command post. Half-way to our objective, I deactivated my darksaber as the men took this rare opportunity to rest. I wiped the sweat from my forehead with my sleeve and tightened my ponytail, keeping my hair out of my face.

"Don't get too comfortable. This battle hasn't been won yet." Anakin advised as I sauntered over to a low transmissions desk and squatted. I activated it, bring up the schematics of the area.

"Master Skywalker, General Cole, we must get to the command post. Admiral Trench has sent for reinforcements. We must take this post before they arrive." Master Tiplar reminded, her and Anakin crouching opposite me, Master Tiplee leaning over my shoulder.

"It's time for Phase 2. We're at this position. Tiplar, you'll take your men down this passage way. Tiplee, you'll move along here. They'll have to divide their forces to counter us, and when they do, Clara and I will press through the middle. If we time it right, we'll all converge on this spot at the same time, and the droids won't know what hit 'em." Anakin explained.

"If we're making a run, we'll need back up. My men are severely depleted." Doom spoke up.

I nodded and looked up. "Fives, you and Tup take ten of your best men and support Master Tiplar."

"We're on it sir." Fives replied. I stood and was about to turn away when I heard Fives speak up, talking to Tup, who was holding his head again. "Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah. I-I just..." Tup began, sounding disoriented.

Fives shoved him gently. "Come on, this is a textbook battle. We've run through this a million times before in training."

"Yeah, I-I know I-I just...I-I don't feel l-like myself." Tup stammered.

"What do you mean?" Fives quieted his voice, sounding confused and concerned. Tup lowered his hand slightly, glaring at Master Tiplar in some sort of daze.

"Jedi..." He growled. Eyes widening, I stepped over to them and out a hand on Tup's shoulder.

"Hey, Tup, what's the matter?" I asked, startled by the aggression in his tone. He stumbled back a step, shaking his head and put his helmet back on.

"Uh-uh, nothing ma'am. I'm fine." He replied shakily. I raised an eyebrow but nodded and turned away, running after Rex and Anakin. I ignited my darksaber and joined in the fight. The pings and hisses of laser fire echoed around us as we fought through the torrent of oncoming droids, not letting up our attack even for a moment.

Another set of doors up ahead hissed open, and we found ourselves in a huge open area, the three teams meeting up at the same time as planned. Boxes and crates were everywhere, large windows showing the battle outside, and the planet below. Spider droids blasted at us from high on the crates, battle droids unleashing a barrage of fire on our teams.

"Don't fall back!" I called. "Push forwards!"

We advanced steadily until my uneasiness grew to the point of making me sick. Stumbling, I looked over to see Fives pause beside Tup, who was holding a hand to his forehead again. "Hey, Tup! Now is _**not **_the time to freeze up. Pull it together. We're almost at the finish line, come on!" Tup knocked a hand against his helmet as if trying to clear his head, and took cover behind a pillar. But when he peered out, gun raised to fire, he caught sight of Master Tiplar spearing a spider droid and lowered his weapon. As Master Tiplar jumped down and continued fighting, Tup took off his helmet and I could see the look in his eyes. Unfocused, glassy...murderous.

"Jedi..." I barely heard him mutter over the sounds of battle. "Good soldiers follow orders." Weapon raised, he advanced towards Master Tiplar. Frozen in place, I watched in horror as he stopped at her side, gun level with her head. He hesitated a moment as she turned to look at him in confusion.

"Tup! NO!" I screamed, raising a hand in disbelief as he fired. Master Tiplar fell to the ground, dead. Broken out of my terror, I sprinted over and shoved Tup to the ground, pulling his arm behind his back, putting my arm around his throat and pulled him up.

"Sister!" Tiplee cried, jumping down from where she'd been fighting and got down next to her sister, gathering her body in her arms.

"Hold you positions!" Anakin ordered. I met his gaze with a look of fear and disbelief. Droidiekas rolled up to the front of the droid's line, along with a squad of super battle droids. The enemy fire increased, and we were forced back, suddenly out-matched. "We've lost our momentum! Fall back!" Master Tiplee picked up her sister and carried her out of the battle field. "Clara!" Anakin was suddenly beside me. "I don't know what's going on, but you and Fives were responsible for Tup! Now get him back to base! I want answers!"

Nodding, I hauled Tup to his feet and backed away as quickly as I could without hurting him. Once inside the hallways, Fives handed me a pair of binders and I snapped them around Tup's wrists. As soon as I did, his knees buckled and he collapsed. "Tup!" I caught him, and with Fives' help, we managed to get him a back to base.

Sitting him down on a crate in a small storage room, I crouched by his side, holding him up. "Tup?" I asked gently, shaking him. I heard footsteps as Anakin and Rex approached. I looked back at them as Anakin spoke,

"How's he doing Clara?"

"I'm...not entirely sure. It's like he just...snapped." I shook my head, pushing myself up and letting Rex take my place.

"Tup? Can you hear me?" He demanded, giving Tup a small shake.

"Y-yes Captain." Tup replied hazily.

"What happened out there Tup?" I said softly, crouching beside Kix.

"W-what do you mean?" He turned his unfocused gaze to me, blinking in confusion.

"Oh, Tup." I bowed my head, shaking it sadly. "Do you have _any _idea what you've done?"

He jerked suddenly, his head lolling to the side. "Good soldiers follow orders. Good soldiers follow orders. Good soldiers follow orders." He repeated over and over, eyes moving rapidly as if he were having an intense nightmare. My eyes widened as what he was saying clicked, and I sat back on my heels.

"Oh god..." I whispered in disbelief.

"What is he talking about?" Kix looked up at Rex, who shrugged.

"I have no idea." He replied. Kix took hold of Tup's face and looked at his eyes, the expression on his face confused and worried. Shaking his head, Kix sighed and waved a hand in front of Tup's eyes. He didn't blink, he didn't even react. His gaze locked onto Master Tiplee.

"Kill...the Jedi." I threw myself backwards out of the way as Tup surged forward, knocking Fives, Kix, Rex and Anakin aside. Master Tiplee held out a hand, stopping Tup and levitating him above the ground with the Force. She threw him backwards, pining him up against the wall, an enraged expression on her face. Anakin placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her.

"We have to get him to the medical bay before he hurts himself, or anyone else." The look on her face changing to sadness, Master Tiplee let Tup drop to the ground, turned on her heel and strode away.

I got down beside Tup again, putting a hand on his shoulder as he gasped for breath, falling into silence once more. "Clara, what's wrong?" Anakin asked from behind me, seeing the expression of defeat on my face.

"Just...God..." I put a hand over my mouth and took a shaky breath. "...praying this isn't what I think it is."

"You know what's happening?" He demanded.

I shook my head sadly. "Anakin, please, you know I can't - "

"He just murdered Master Tiplar, Clara!" Anakin snapped. I rose to my feet, angry and sad, and faced him.

"You don't think I know that?!" I replied loudly, tears in my eyes. I gave a frustrated huff as the information slipped away again. "And shit, it's gone again!" I hit my head on the wall in anger, startling the men in the room. I pressed a hand against my forehead, calming down. "Look, alright? I'm trying really, _really _hard to remember all this. But right now, I can't. Whenever I think I've remembered something, it slips away. Can we please just worry about Tup and get him to the medical bay?"

With a sigh, Anakin nodded, his expression becoming understanding. He put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know this is hard for you Clara." I gave a sad smile back, though in my mind I was wondering if anyone would ever understand the burden of holding the universe on your shoulders.

And know what it's like to start to crumble under the weight.

* * *

"Okay. You can give him this now."

Kix handed me a mild neural stimulant, the small bright yellow needle-like device somewhat familiar in my hands. I had helped Kix transport Tup, who was under heavy sedation for the time being, over to the _Brigadier_'s med-bay. Pressing the device against his neck, it gave a hiss as the dose of adrenaline was pushed into his system. I put the device down and sat down on the edge of the cot. Thick straps were over his chest and knees, preventing him from hurting anyone.

He shifted slightly, fists clenching as he slowly gained consciousness. I put a hand on his shoulder as his eyes opened. His gaze was clear, though became confused as he looked around and tried to sit up. "Tup?" I kept my voice calm and gentle, concern in my eyes. "Tup, it's me. It's Clara."

"M-ma'am?" He reached up, clutching at the restraints, fear replacing confusion. Just then, Fives, Tup, Anakin and Master Tiplee filed in. I stood and moved beside Rex. "F-Fives? What's happening to me?"

"You...don't remember?" Fives asked.

"No." Tup shook his head.

"You...murdered General Tiplar." Fives replied sadly.

"W-what? No. That's not possible. I-I-I would never...I-I could never..." He began to fight against the restraints. Fives put a hand on his shoulder, and Tup grabbed him like a life line.

"Tup, you did." He insisted.

Tup kept thrashing. "I-I don't - I don't understand. How could this happen?! What's happening to me Fives?!" Seeing he was hurting himself, the medical droid took a sedative and injected Tup. "Ah! NO! No..." He trailed off and settled as he passed out. I absentmindedly grabbed Rex's hand, needing the comfort, and he gave mine a reassuring squeeze before letting go.

"What do you think happened? Did you check all the scans?" Anakin rubbed the back of his neck, looking worried.

"Well, all of his scans are clear. As far as I can tell, this is a combat related stress. It seems he's had some sort of breakdown." Kix explained.

"Kix, you should know better." Rex protested. "We were designed to withstand any stress."

"I agree. We've been through a lot together. He doesn't seem to remember what happened." Fives agreed. "It's like he's sick or drugged."

"Well..." I spoke up. "It could be a virus. A toxin. We can't be certain."

"Lets discuss this outside." Anakin said quietly, glancing warily at the unconscious Tup. We all stepped out into the hallway, and Anakin turned to me. "You're saying the enemy could have made him do this?"

"It's a possibility. There have been rumors that the Separatists are trying to create an anti-Clone virus. Biological warfare. I've seen it a lot before, back home." I nodded.

"Listen, we aren't equipped for this kind of situation. He'll have to be taken back to Kamino. Only then will you have your answer." Kix suggested. That same nagging, uneasy feeling started in the back of my mind.

_What's going to go wrong this time?_

* * *

"Wait, wait!"

Half an hour later, Anakin, Rex, Fives and I were standing in the hangar as a medical team and a squad of troops moved Tup onto a transport to be taken back to Kamino. Fives approached the gurney and put a hand on the unconscious Tup's shoulder.

"Tup. It's gonna be fine, I promise. They'll fix you up real good. We'll be having a drink together in no time, yeah?" Fives tried, maybe reassuring himself more than Tup.

"Good...soldiers...follow...orders. Good...soldiers..." Tup muttered in his sleep, an oxygen mask distorting his speech somewhat.

"You _are _a good soldier Tup." Fives sighed. I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"You gotta let them go." I pointed out. Nodding, Fives backed away, letting them move the gurney into the ship. "Be careful." I told the doctor who was moving past. The ship took off, and the four of us headed back towards the bridge in silence.

That is, until my comm. beeped noisily. I answered it, confused, but the panicked voice of a clone pilot came through. "Mayday, mayday! The enemy's cut us off! They must have circled around behind us! We're being overrun! AH! AHHHHHHHH!" There was a loud smashing sound and trooper's scream faded away as he was undoubtedly dragged out into space.

"ETA 299, do you read? 299, come in!" I said frantically. No response. "Son of a bitch!" Not waiting, I spun on my toe and sprinted back towards the hangar. Only slowing at the ramp to a standard-issue shuttle, I climbed on board and sat down in the pilot's seat. Anakin took the seat beside me, Rex and Fives coming to stand behind us. I primed the engines and lifted the ship out of the main hangar, just as Wullf Yularen's voice came over the comm. He started to say something, but I cut him off.

"Check the comm channels. ETA shuttle 299 just cut out." I announced, annoyed. He didn't speak for a few minutes after that, until we neared the downed frigate.

"General Cole, General Skywalker, you are nearing the coordinates where we lost contact with the shuttle." Looking out the window, a sense of dread came over me as I took in the state of the ship.

"We can see it now. Doesn't look good." Anakin replied.

"Understatement of the century." I countered, gazing up at the wreck. The cockpit had been blown open, the engines were fried, and a section of the hull had been peeled back, exposing the vents.

"Looks like some buzz droids got on the hull and opened it right up." Rex remarked.

"Hmm. Strategically this attack doesn't make any sense." Fives said.

"Unless they were after something specific." I pointed out. I brought us up alongside, as close as I could get, and kept the shuttle steady as Rex, Fives and Anakin went to go investigate.

_Oh Tup. Please be okay..._

* * *

"It's just the four of us going in. The shuttle will drop us off just short of the main hangar. We space walk from there."

Spinning the ship upside down, the pilot clamped us down on the underside of the main hangar. Pulling on my gloves, I held my helmet under my arm and gazed out at the station and the planet beyond. Tup had been taken by the Separatists. And we were going to get him back.

"Are you picking anything up on Tup's locator?" Rex asked.

"I've got a faint signal. It's hard to track, and it's moving." Fives nodded.

"We'd better hurry." I added, turning and putting on my helmet as the ramp was lowered. Stepping out onto the exterior of the station, the magnetic seals on my boots engaged. We walked slowly along the metal, moving dampened by the lack of gravity.

"Got a better signal. Tup's heading this way." Fives announced.

"They're moving him to the hangar." I supplied, reaching the edge of the underside. Leaning over, I let my boots clamp onto the new surface, then pulled myself up the hull, like rock climbing. We reached the hangar and hid ourselves, peering up just over the edge. Fives glanced over at me and Anakin as we pulled out our small scopes.

"Are your scopes Jedi issue sir?" Fives joked. Even in zero gravity, I elbowed him with a laugh.

"Stay focused Fives." I scolded, making him chuckle. Looking around the hangar, I counted at least a hundred droids. I caught sight of Tup being moved into a Separatist shuttle.

"There he is, sir!" Fives announced.

"We'll have to work fast." Anakin replied.

"There must be a hundred droids in that hangar, not to mention the starfighters. This is stretching it, even for you, sir." Rex said.

"Rex, you're beginning to sound like Obi-Wan!" Anakin smirked. "You got a better idea?"

"Look, I have no doubt that you could pull it off. But I'm just not sure Fives and I would be around to see it happen." Rex explained.

"I've got an idea." Fives piped up.

Anakin turned to him. "Let's hear it, quickly." Taking a grappling launcher from his belt, Fives secured it onto the gun. "Grappling gun. Good thinking."

"Get ready to hold on." Fives nodded.

"That's why _he's _the ARC trooper." Rex said. I wrapped my arms around him as he and Fives launched their cables at the leaving ship. The four of us were whisked off our feet. I held on to Rex for dear life until we hit the wing of the shuttle, our magnetized boots clamping to the metal. Anakin cut a hole in the hull and we dropped inside. Taking out my darksaber, I ignited it as he opened a door...into a hall full of battle droids.

I cut down the battle droids, but was engaged by a commando droid. I cut its gun in half, but it pulled out a wickedly sharp blade. Raising my own to defend myself, I made quick work of slicing the hilt. Unexpectedly, it kneed me in the stomach. I fell to the floor, coughing. Wincing, I pushed myself up as Fives blew the head off the droid. I strode up to Tup's side and put a hand on his shoulder. His breathing was labored, his pulse erratic and faint.

"How is he?" Anakin asked, disengaging his lightsaber.

"Not good. Not good at all. I..." I trailed off and took a deep breath. "I think he's dying."

Anakin nodded. "We have to get him to Kamino as soon as possible."

* * *

Back on the _Brigadier_, I walked beside Tup as he was moved towards medical frigate 517. It was equipped with weapons, and advanced shielding. Every precaution was being taken to ensure Tup's safety now. Even so, I refused to leave his side. So, I was accompanying them to Kamino.

I passed Anakin, Rex and Fives, but didn't give them so much as a glance as the gurney was moved onto the ship, me following closely behind. Tup was secured in the med-bay, with a fresh supply of oxygen and constant flow of sedatives to keep him under. I took a seat beside the bed and buried my face in my hands, trying not to cry. This was all my fault. I kept telling myself not to be afraid, to change things, but I never did in more than little ways.

Reaching out, I took Tup's hand, trying more than ever to remember what was going on.

"Hold on Tup. Just hold on."


	4. Chapter 4

_Does it __**always **__rain here?_

I hummed absentmindedly as Rex, Fives and I escorted the unconscious Tup's gurney through the pristine white halls of the Kamino medical and cloning facility. I was soaked through from the deluge outside, my hair and clothes plastered to my face and body. I gave a small sneeze, and a passing Kaminoan gave me a look like I had just started a plague. Embarrassed, I dropped my gaze to the floor. I felt gross here. It was too clean. I was scared to leave a footprint on the floor.

"You will have to say goodbye to your friend now." The Kaminoan doctor said in her soft voice. _Evil. She's evil. _I told myself. It was the one scrap of information I was managing to hold onto. Doctor Nala Se was bad news.

"Yes, doctor." Fives muttered, watching Tup as he was taken away, just as Jedi Master Shaak Ti walked up.

"General Shaak Ti." Rex acknowledged, taking off his helmet.

"Captain Rex, Clara." She nodded to both of us, then looked over at Fives. I wondered for a brief minute if she remembered him from training.

"Fives, am I correct?" She asked.

"Yes General." Fives replied.

"You serve with Tup?"

"Yes."

Looking between Fives and I, she gave a small smile. "You must come with me." Sharing a confused look, I raised an eyebrow.

"With all due respect, Master Shaak Ti, we can't just abandon him now." I protested, trying to put it as kindly as I could.

Gesturing for us to follow her, and the three of us did so, me falling into step close beside Fives. "You must let the doctors do their work. Do not be afraid. Your friend is in quite capable hands. Doctor Nala Se is the chief medical scientist on Kamino. She was one of the primary engineers of all the clones. Now, we must take care of you."

Startled, my eyes widened. Why in the world would there be something wrong with me? True, I was utterly exhausted and stressed out, but somehow I didn't think that's what she was talking about. "Me? There's nothing wrong with me ma'am. I'm perfectly fine."

"We can't be sure of that until we complete a full exam. If a virus was the cause of Tup's breakdown, you **and** Fives have more than likely been exposed to the contagion. You haven't entered the advanced stages yet, as Tup has, but any information we can gather from you could help to find a cure for Tup." Stopping outside a medical room just beside the one Tup had been moved into, Fives sighed.

"Alright General. If it'll help Tup."

Shaak Ti turned to Rex. "Captain Rex, General Skywalker has ordered you back to the war zone. You are to leave immediately." With that, she turned and walked away.

"I'm sorry Fives. I wish I could stay but, duty calls." Rex apologized. It stung a little that it wasn't directed at me, but I knew better. Chain of command was a pain in the ass, especially when it came between us being friends.

"It's fine sir. Fighting a virus is a nice change of pace from all those clankers." Fives nodded, giving a small smile as Rex put his helmet back on. Surprisingly, Rex then turned to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Take care of yourselves." Smiling widely, I reached up and put my hand over his. "And Tup." I let go as he turned and walked off, my smile fading slightly. I looked over at Fives, who returned my look of helplessness.

"At least we're in this together." I pointed out.

"Always, ma'am." He nodded.

I laughed, clearly but quietly. "You don't have to call me that while we're here Fives. I do have a name, ya know." I joked, smile returning in full. He chuckled, giving me a grin of his own.

"Hard habit to break...Clara." He used my first name hesitantly, but his smile didn't waver until he glanced back at the room Tup had been moved into. I put a hand on his arm comfortingly and my expression became reassuring, telling him what I didn't believe all too much myself,

"Tup will be fine Fives. It'll be okay."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Fives and I were dressed in dark red medical scrubs, not unlike the cadet uniforms, waiting in the examination room. I was leaning against the far console, careful not to touch anything important, arms crossed over my chest. Fives was lying down on the examination table, one of the medical droids checking him over like it had done me not two minutes prior.

I was watching Tup closely through a thick glass window that separated the two rooms, surveying the doctors going back and forth. I couldn't hear what was being said, but one of the droid doctors administered some kind of stimulant directly into Tup's heart, stabbing the needle carefully into his chest. His breathing mask was removed, and all seemed fine for a moment.

Then Tup began to seize.

I moved to the window, feeling a twinge of pain that I couldn't do anything to help my friend. Fives shoved the medical droid out of the way and sat up when he caught sight of what was happening. "What are they doing to Tup?" He demanded.

"Remain calm." The droid droned, trying to pull Fives back.

"Out of my way." Fives snapped, pushing the droid again. The momentum caused it to spin away, and Fives joined me at the window, banging a fist against the glass. "General, what's going on?" He called loudly. Master Shaak Ti caught sight of us and suddenly the glass tinted to black, blocking our view. "No, no! Come on!"

I reached out a hand to Fives' shoulder, giving him a slight pull. "Come on Fives. The doctors know what they're doing." With a heavy, defeated sigh, he nodded and turned away from the window, just as a smaller medical droid came in. I perked up at the chance to find out what was going on. "Hey, doctor. Is Tup going to be alright? Have they discovered anything wrong?"

The droid didn't answer my question right away, turning around and gesturing for the two of us to sit. "Please, sit down." Fives and I did as told, pushing ourselves up onto the floating cot. "We are using hyper tests, so we should be given the results very quickly. We need to complete more procedures on you. Sorry."

"Wha-Ow! Hey!" I protested as the droid jabbed a needle into my neck without warning, then did the same with Fives.

"I said I was sorry." The droid hummed almost pleasantly, heading over to one of the computers. "You must understand. Organics are so much harder to understand that droids."

"Well?" Fives asked, rubbing his neck where the needle had been injected.

"Everything seems normal. For both of you." The droid replied.

"Oh, great. Well, that means that they can let us out." Fives and I both figured that they'd do their tests, then let us head back to the war zone. But the droid's answer shocked us,

"I am afraid that is not possible. You must stay quarantined until we have pinpointed the exact cause of the other clone's breakdown. We cannot risk any further casualties."

I shared a disbelieving look with Fives. "Look," He tried, "neither of us are a threat. And neither's Tup."

"Are you certain?" The droid countered.

"Eh," Fives waved him off, turning away, "You're just a droid. You don't know about real duty. About what it's like to have a brother."

"I am sorry. I always wanted to have human feelings." The slight tone of sadness in the droid's otherwise mechanical voice broke my heart. "But I do not. Goodbye!"

Fives and I sat in silence, dreading what was happening to Tup. Was he alright? We he in pain? Was he even still alive? _No. _I told myself. _No, don't think like that. He's going to make it. He will. _But a nagging voice at the back of my head asked, _And what if he doesn't? _Blinking away a few tears that had begun to prick at the corners of my vision, I focused on the now. The facts. The concrete things I knew. One; Tup had been complaining of not feeling like himself. Two; in an almost entranced state, he had fired on and killed Jedi Master Tiplar. Three; he had been incoherent afterwards, slipping into another trance and trying to attack Master Tiplee. Four; his health was deteriorating fast. Five; the Sepies wanted him for something. Six; one of the only things I could remember is that Doctor Nala Se was not to be trusted, around Tup...or Fives.

_Fives? _I wondered. _Now why would she have anything to do with Fives? _Stowing that newly gained knowledge away, I kept digging. My memories of the past were solid, but the future, the next season of the show, was blurry. A gentle nudge from my friend brought me out of my concentration. I turned to look at Fives, annoyed and frustrated.

"What?" I questioned, perhaps a little harsher than I meant.

He raised his hands in defense. "I just wanted to see if you were alright. You're being really quiet." My anger dissipated. He was only worried about me. I let a small smile onto my otherwise tired expression.

"Yeah. I'm good." _Complete lie, _I scolded myself.

"Like you told me. Tup will be fine. It'll be okay." He repeated my earlier words, but instead of comforting me, they made me uneasy. _Everyone always says that. _

Suddenly, the door hissed open, and the small medical droid returned with a wave. "Hello."

"What's going on?" I said hopefully.

"CT-5385's condition seems to be deteriorating." The droid sounded a little too happy, but then again, it's a _**droid**_. My hope fell to my feet, and I bowed my head, trying to tell myself he would be fine. They would find a cure.

"Tup." Fives sighed. "His name is Tup."

"Tup? What is a 'Tup'?" Mildly confused, the droid paused in its work at the console.

"Tup is our friend. He's not a number." Fives replied.

"Yes he is. We all have numbers. My number is AZ-345211896246498721347. His is CT-5385." The droid countered, moving across the room to another console.

"Wrong. He has a name. No clone uses that number. Not anymore." Fives shook his head.

"But you are a number. CT-5555." The droid reasoned.

"No. I am Fives. Call me Fives."

"But...five _is _a number." I laughed at that remark, earning a small glare from Fives as I covered my mouth with my hand and gave an innocent shrug.

He looked back at the droid. "No, not _five_. Fives."

"Oooooh..." The droid realized. "The difference is minimal."

Smiling, I spoke up, putting a hand on Fives' shoulder once more and shaking my head. "Not to us. And not to any Clone."

Sitting down, I watched the two of them argue in amusement as I kept thinking. I was determined, but every time I tried to grab at something too far away, my head would spin and I'd have to start over with the basics. _My name is Clara Lauren Cole. I'm nineteen years old. My family died when I was little. I grew up on the street and in foster homes. I was transported into the universe of the kids cartoon Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I was given, and have now earned, the rank of General. I have been here for 3 years, 8 months, 15 days. These men are my brothers. This men are my family. But Tup is sick. Fives and I are here to help him. Doctor Nala Se is bad news. Doctor Nala Se is..._

_...conspiring with Count Dooku and Darth Sidious._

I hadn't realized my eyes had been shut, but now they flew open in horror. Quickly, I held fast to that information and ordered myself to remember it. I gave a sigh of relief when it didn't fade after a moment. Recovering from the discovery, I turned my attention back to Fives and the droid.

"No," Fives was saying, pacing behind me. "Theres too much procedure and protocol here. Tup is a soldier. He risks his life every day, and I know he would do it again now if it meant finding out what was wrong with him."

_Oh..._I thought, confused. _Did I miss something?_

"I recommended an atomic brain scan, but that request has thus far been denied." The medical droid explained.

_Oh, right. The Kaminoans want to kill Tup. _"Then we'll have to get the results of that brain scan ourselves." I countered, pushing myself up as Fives gave me a shocked look. Me? Suggesting going against orders? Yeah, like hell that was new.

"But that is against protocol!" The droid pointed out.

"Think about it. It's your duty to save the patient, right?" I leaned back against the cot, folding my arms over my chest in an unimpressed manner.

"That is correct..." The droid agreed.

"And you recommended this atomic brain scan as the best way to save the patient, right?" Fives caught on quickly, moving to circle the droid.

"That is correct." The droid repeated.

"So, by not performing this scan, you're letting the patient die..." He gave me a nod and we finished the sentence together, "...willingly."

"Impossible! That is against my programming." _Fives and Clara, droid manipulators._ I smirked.

"That's not how it looks to me." Fives replied somewhat darkly.

"But I cannot perform the atomic brain scan without disobeying orders." The droid protested.

"Check your programming. I thought saving the patient, at all cost, was fundamentally your highest order." I moved to stand beside Fives, grinning. After a moment, the droid nodded, stating again that I was correct. "Well then...lets get to it."

* * *

Fives, AZ-3 and I snuck out into the hall, which for the time being, was relatively empty except for medical droids and a pair of troopers headed away from us. We slipped into the room just as the men turned around at the sound of the door opening, nearly spotting us. I grabbed AZs arm and pulled him inside, the door sliding shut behind him.

I stood beside Tup, looking him over sadly. He seemed to be in terrible pain. I took a deep breath. "Okay. Lets get to work." I nodded to Fives and he helped me move Tup aside as a machine resembling a CAT scanner lowered from the ceiling. We carefully pushed Tup's gurney inside the machine, a whirling sound emminating as the scan proceeded.

"The scan is almost complete." AZ informed us from the console on the machine, where an image of Tup's brain appeared. "Everything appears to be normal."

"Wait a second!" I called from the console where the data was being displayed.

"What? What is it?" Fives came to stand beside me, looking over my shoulder.

"It...looks like Tup's developed a tumor." I pointed to the screen, where a red circle was flashing around a small part of the brain. I glanced back at AZ. "Is that even possible?"

"I have never witnessed anything like this in your kind." AZ shook his head.

"Well, then what is it?" Fives asked.

"I can't be certain. Not without performing an autopsy." I ran a hand through my hair. I hadn't performed an autopsy since wartime medical school, when we had all been forced to learn all medical prodecures, and I wasn't familiar with any of the equipment. I prayed that AZ knew the procedure.

"You're gonna take it out of him?" Fives turned to me, but knocked over a tray of tools in the process. They clattered noisily on the floor, making me cringe and roll my eyes at Fives clumsiness. I bent down to help him clean it up. "Think someone heard that?"

"No shit!" I hissed angrily, putting the tools back on the tray as best we could. Hearing someone coming outside, I looked up sharply. Before I could react, I found myself pressed to the ground on the far side of Tups gurney, Fives on top of me and holding a finger to his lips. _Awkward..._I bit my bottom lip to keep from cursing. Neither of us dared to move or even breathe as the door opened and Nala Se walked in.

"Hello Doctor." AZ piped up cheerfully.

"What do you think you're doing?" She demanded.

"Only following protocol. Save the patient." AZ replied, covering for us very cleverly. Shifting my gaze, I found a medical too, lying on the ground a few feet away. Knowing the doctor would pick it up, I shoved Fives up as she did and pulled him behind one of the machines in the room. "Doctor, I have found something unusual in this scan. It appears to be a tumor. Perhaps you should take a look."

"You performed a second scan without my authorization?!" _Angry bitches be crazy. _Staying quiet, Fives and I moved from one machine to the next, making sure not to be seen as AZ distracted the doctor.

"As I stated, I was following my programming."

"Then you are like this clone." She spat. "Defective. You will be put on report for deactivation."

"But, the tumor. This tumor seems to be blocking neural impulses from communicating within the brain. We should scan the rest of the clones to see if this is a problem with their basic genetic model, or a mutation with the current models."

"There is no tumor. Your scan is incorrect." Nala Se snapped.

"But -" AZ tried.

"This clone clearly has a virus that remains undetected. But I will find the cause once he's terminated." I held back a gasp and seeing our chance, grabbed Fives hand and hurried back to our own room. Once we were all safely back, undetected, Fives tried to let go of my hand but I held fast, making him turn to look at me with an angry expression on his face.

"I can't believe it. They're going to kill him!"

"In this case, it is the logical course of action." AZ stated, but shut up after we both glared at him.

"Fives, I know you're upset but -" I started as gently as I could

"And what, you aren't?!" He interrupted, wrenching his hand from mine. "No. No! We were not created to be disposed of this way!"

"Perhaps you were." AZ replied. Giving what could only be called a strangled sob, Fives spun around and slammed his fists down against the examination table. I put a comforting hand on his back as AZ continued, "CT-5385 will be terminated so that others like him could survive."

"There aren't others like him." I shook my head and turned to the droid. "Tup doesn't have to die. You found a tumor. I'm sure that's the cause of all this. It's the only thing that makes sense."

"But how can we proceed?" AZ questioned.

Fives turned to face the two of us. "Do your biopsy. I'm sure what you find will prove that Tup doesn't have to die."

"But Nala Se - "

"Were not going to Nala Se with what we find." Fives cut the droid off, pushing past him. "We'll go to the General. To Shaak Ti. She helped me once as a cadet. I know she values the life of a clone."

"But we will be disobeying direct orders."

"Yep!" I replied happily. "For the second time today." I took a deep breath. "Can you hack into the medical center's main frame?"

"I do possess that ability, yes."

"Alright. Then here's what we need to do. AZ, you have to set off the intruder alert for another section. Somewhere far from here. That'll lockdown medical personnel and staff, giving us the chance to perform the biopsy. Now, we'll have to be quick. It won't take long for them to realize it's a false alarm." I explained.

AZ got to work, and in no time, an announcement blared over the comm systems. "Intruder alert! Intruder alert! All non-essential personnel to safe rooms for lockdown." I grinned, watching through the tinted door as men ran past.

"Great work AZ! Lets go." Fives complimented. AZ moved over to the window and used a laser to cut through the thick glass, a circle wide enough for us to fit through. We climbed into the other room and were warned to look away as AZ began the operation. Fives turned me away, pulling me against him as he shut his eyes. I leaned against his chest, trying to stay calm.

The procedure seemed to take forever, but in reality, it was less than a minute before I asked, "Is it done?"

"It is now." AZ affirmed. Fives and I turned to look as the droid handed him a small rectangular slide of glass, the tumor sealed in between. I wrinkled my nose in disgust, but was relieved that it was finally out. Tup was gonna be okay.

Just then, the door opened and a very angry looking Nala Se walked in. "What have you done?"

"Saved our friends life. This tumor is the cause of his illness." Fives held it up so she could see, and she immediately reached out to grab it.

"Give me that!" She tried to tug the container from Fives' hand, but he didn't let go.

"You can't be trusted." Fives snapped. Reaching behind him, he grabbed a needle filled with what looked like a lethal does of sedative and raised it to strike her. I grabbed his arm as the door opened and General Shaak Ti appeared, accompanied by three troops. He glared back at me, but I simply shook my head. Killing the doctor was not a smart move if we wanted to be listened to. His gaze softened, and he let me take the needle and put it down out of his reach as he spoke to Shaak Ti, "General, I have evidence. It's right here."

Behind me, Tup stirred and his eyes fluttered. "Free..." He murmured. Moving around to the other side of the gurney, I took his hand, raising my other to his cheek in a comforting gesture. "The...mission...free...finally..."

"Fives." I called softly, then turned my attention back to the man on the gurney. "Tup?"

"The...mission..." He repeated faintly as Fives put a hand on his chest.

"What is he saying?" General Shaak Ti asked, but we both promptly ignored her.

"Brother." Fives said quietly. "What mission?"

"You-you know the one." His gaze met mine. "C-Clara, the-the mission. The one in our dreams. That never ends. The one in our dreams..." I wished with all my heart I could remember what he was talking about as his voice grew fainter and fainter. I let the tears flow and I strengthened my grip on his hand. He looked to Fives. "Ah, brother. This is the end. Forget the mission. The nightmares...finally...free..."

His eyes closed, his hand going limp in mine. He was gone, but I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it. We had tried so hard. It couldn't end like this. And it was evident that Fives didn't want to accept it either as he shook our friends body. "No." I muttered, voice growing more panicked as I spoke. "No, no, no. Come on Tup, please! Please..." It was no use.

Tup was dead.

Fives reached over and put a hand on my shoulder. "I thought we'd saved him." He said, his tone holding nothing but defeat and grief. I raised a hand to wipe the tears from my eyes, but more kept falling. _Pull yourself together Clara. _The cold, selfish part of my mind scolded. _It's not the first time you've seen, or the last time you're **going **to see those you care about taken away._ Had I been back home, still fighting in the war or trying to survive, I would have agreed with that thought. And it wasn't wrong. But I couldn't afford to think like that anymore. I didn't _want _to think like that anymore.

With a quiet sniffle, I glanced up at Fives. "So did I." I whispered. For the first time since my little sister's death, nearly six years ago, I remembered what it was to have someone die because of me. Because I hadn't changed what was cemented in my mind as 'supposed' to happen. I had been too afraid.

Because, in the grand scheme of things..._I _was the reason Tup had died.


	5. Chapter 5

Sitting beside Fives on the medical gurney back in our own room, grief cast over us making our shoulders sag like we each adorned a heavy cloak, I didn't think things could get much worse. We'd failed. Tup was dead. We were under arrest, our ranks stripped. We were just Fives and Clara now, two people who were as close as brother and sister, being pulled deeper and deeper into a darkness we couldn't fight.

Medical droids went to and fro, checking us for signs of shock. There wasn't any. Just pain, defeat, and unimaginable depression. Fives held my hand like a life line, even as Nala Se and General Shaak Ti walked in. "General. What did the chancellor say?" He asked, his tone strong to avoid showing any weakness. I wasn't so sure I could do the same.

"Supreme Chancellor Palpatine wants the tumor and all intel gathered sent to the Grand Republic Medical Facility on Coruscant." As she walked by, she held it up to make sure we could see it. I watched her as she moved across the room and put it in one of the open cases. _Remember that. That's important. _I didn't even bother to try and remember why. I just knew I had to watch that case.

"So, then, we'll be going to Coruscant as well?" Fives said hopefully.

"You were not part of the Chancellor's request." Nala Se replied coldly. Fives and I glared at her angrily.

Shaak Ti shook her head, turning to look at us. "I am sorry Fives, Clara. But this is a matter best left to the medical professionals. There is still so much we do not know."

"Perhaps we would know more if this clone and child hadn't taken matters into their own hands." Nala Se remarked.

"Listen! We were trying to save our friend!" Fives pointed an accusing finger at her.

"And yet, by removing this tumor, it was you who killed him." She pointed out, a sly look in her black eyes. Enraged, Fives stood, but never let go of my hand.

"What do you care?! You were gonna kill him anyways! And dissect him too! He's a soldier! He deserves better!" Fives snapped, but I tugged on his hand insistently.

"Fives, please." I muttered in a defeated tone. Slowly, Fives sat back down, defeat replacing the anger on his face. I leaned against him heavily, but he didn't seem to mind. Right now, we were both falling apart.

"Doctor, we have no proof of your claim. I want this specimen and all data prepared for transit to the Jedi Temple." Shaak Ti said. I masked my surprise enough, but my eyes widened at her statement.

"The Chancellor said he wants the tumor and the data sent directly to the medical facility on Coruscant. Not the Jedi Temple." Nala Se argued.

"And it will get there. But after the Jedi run an analysis on it first." Shaak Ti pressed calmly.

"I protest. I must personally deliver the tumor to the Chancellor, as ordered." Nala Se shook her head.

"You can protest all you want. My word is final." Shaak Ti gave a small smirk, then turned to us as two troopers and another Kaminoan walked in, putting her hands on our shoulders. "You have one more physical to pass. If you are cleared, you will both be sent back to the 501st."

"Thank you, General." I nodded with a smile.

"It will be good to put this entire incident behind you." She said comfortingly.

"I agree." Nala Se agreed, her tone like ice. Giving her a wary look as Fives stood, gently pulling me with him, we stepped over to the door. I kept my eye on the droid carrying the case with the tumor inside, and saw it put the metal container back on the table, switching it out for the empty one. My eyes widened, but Fives and I were led out of the room before I could say anything.

We were paraded into the hall, and headed to who-knows-where as Nala Se, Shaak Ti and the empty medical case went the other way, causing me to loose sight of them. I bowed my head as we continued along. I couldn't imagine going back to the front after all this. The idea seemed surreal. Fives nudged me gently and I looked up to see AZ-3 being brought down the hall in the opposite direction. I smiled widely despite my grief. "AZ-3."

"Hello, Clara, ARC trooper Fives." It sounded a little stressed as he attempted to say Fives' name, but I was proud of him for trying. "I regret that we were unable to heal your friend."

"Yeah, me too." I sighed.

"Are you going to be reprogrammed as well?" AZ asked.

"No, AZ, we're going back to the front." Fives replied.

"That is not what I heard. I heard your minds were going to be wiped and that you would be reassigned here and placed on sanitation detail." My eyes widened and I shared a startled look with Fives, who tightened his grip on my hand. "We can still be friends, assuming we remember each other after our memories have been erased."

The Kaminoan didn't give us anything more than a warning glance. "Let's go, CT-5555, Miss Cole."

Fives set his jaw angrily, holding my hand so tight he nearly crushed it. "No!" He lashed out, shoving the Kaminoan into the guards escorting AZ. He attacked our guards next, grabbing the gun from one shock trooper and throwing him to the ground. Spinning around, I brought my fist down on the second guard's helmet, then kneed him in the stomach. As he collapsed on the ground, I apologized silently. I turned to see Fives throw his gun at the last troop, disorienting him. He grabbed the man's gun and swept his feet out from under him.

"Look what you did! I cannot believe what you did." AZ cried.

"We are not getting our minds erased, and neither are you." Fives snapped. The Kaminoan escorting us had gotten back up, and hit a button on the wall. An alarm began to blare, and the lights in the hallway turned bright red. _Shit just hit the fan. _"Let's get out of here!" Fives took my hand and dragged me with him down the hall.

AZ, with no other real option, followed us closely. "Are we escaping?" Running down the red-lit corridors, we made our way back to the room we'd been in previously. Slipping inside, the door hissed shut behind us. "Why are we here?"

"Fives." I whispered angrily, yanking my hand from his grasp. He turned to me, looking confused at my retaliation. "What are you doing?"

"Ma'am..." He gave a heavy sigh. "Clara. Please. Just trust me." I huffed in annoyance, but nodded. I didn't like it, and I knew very well that Fives could be hurt or killed by his actions, but I wanted to help him. Moving over to the table which had held both medical cases, Fives opened the one that remained. "I knew it." I stepped to his side and peered over his shoulder, eyes widening at what I saw. The tumor _was _in this case. The cases had been switched.

I put my hands on my hips in a disappointed fashion. "Nala Se switched the cases. She's trying to hide something." Fives picked it up and looked the slide over, then turned and showed it to AZ.

"Oh, the tumor? So we are going to continue our research?" The droid guessed.

"Yeah, the research. That's it. Now, come on!" Fives grabbed AZ and took off. After a moment of indecision, I followed. Trying our hardest not to be spotted, we ran for the hangar. Looking around, alert for any detection, we headed for one of the ships. Men were wandering around, locking down the Kaminoan ships. A pilot strode out of the ship we were approaching and saluted when he saw us, then held up a hand, indicating for us to stop.

"I'm sorry, sir, ma'am. All ships are locked down during the emergency." He said.

"Oh, what about that one?" Fives pointed to nothing behind him, but the trick worked. As the clone turned away, Fives punched him in the gut, knocking him cold. Catching him as he fell, I propped him up against a pile of shipping crates.

"There they are!"

Startled, I looked up and found Master Shaak Ti and a group of men entering the hangar. Scrambling to my feet, I joined Fives and AZ in the ship. Fives shoved the droid out of the pilot's seat and sat down, starting the engines and lifting us off the landing platform. As we got further and further away from the city, I figured out two possibilities for Fives' plan. We were either going to actually escape, which I highly doubted, or this ship was a diversion. I prayed the former was correct, but my silent plea went unobserved and dread settle in like a rock in my stomach when Fives turned to AZ.

"Can you float?" He asked.

"I am buoyant and have several survival modes." The medical droid explained.

Fives gave a slight smirk at the droid's reply. "Ah, survival, eh?" I didn't really pay much attention to what he was going at the controls until a voice announced 'Autopilot engaged. Navigation and orbit set.' and Fives stood. He hit a button on the wall, and the door to the small ship opened. The wind whistled outside, the grey waters a blur beneath us.

"Wait. What are you doing? I thought we were escaping." AZ demanded.

"Nope, this is a diversion. I need them to chase this pod while we go back and investigate the cause of Tup's death. Any more questions, doctor?" _Weeeeelllll, shit._ I rolled my eyes. Agreeing to help Fives was one thing, but his was downright insane. I knew without a doubt that the water would be like concrete at this height and speed.

"Actually, yes, now that you mention it - " Without letting the doctor finish, Fives grabbed his mechanical arm and tossed him out of the ship. He held out a hand to me and after a moment's hesitation, I took it, closed my eyes, and we jumped from the moving ship.

We hit the water with a splash, the force knocking the air from my lungs and making me let go of Fives. Panicking, I opened my eyes and found I was upside down. Righting myself, I kicked hard and emerged on the surface, coughing and gasping. I looked around frantically by Fives and AZ were nowhere in sight. Fearing the worst, I dove down under the waves again, searching for them but it was too dark. I came up for another breath and tried my best to keep my head above the water. "Fives!" I yelled. _Don't panic. It's going to be fine._ There it was again. That lie I kept forcing myself to believe.

"Clara!" I heard, coming from close by. Scanning the ocean again, I grinned in relief when I saw a hoverboard-turned AZ with Fives on top approaching. Pausing beside me, I took his hand and he hauled me up behind him, trying not to laugh.

"Not a word." I threatened grumpily as I put my arms around him and held on tight. We circled around and sped back the way we came, the city growing larger and larger on the horizon. Once underneath, amid the city supports, I pointed to an emergency hatch at the top of one of the supports. Carefully climbing off AZ, I hopped onto the ladder first, Fives following behind, and AZ bringing up the rear.

"Once we're inside, I need you to get me a change of clothes, AZ." Fives called down.

_Yeah, and I'll just walk around and stick out like a black eye, yes?_

* * *

We ended up inside a storage room, boxes and crates filled with equipment and training droids stacked ceiling-high. I squeezed the water from my hair and clothes as best I could, but I was still soaked. And being damp was worse. "I feel disgusting." I huffed, my shoes squelching with water as I took a step. I kicked them off, hiding them in a corner as I peeled off my socks. It felt better to have bare feet. To hell with leaving a mark of the floor.

I headed back over to Fives to find him dressed in clean white armor, indistinguishable from the other troops roaming the halls. _Born a shinny, dies a shinny. _That sudden thought unnerved and confused me greatly, but I held onto it as I had with everything else I remembered.

"We need to get the tumor analyzed." I piped up, pushing my drenched hair back off my face.

"Follow me." AZ took off out into the hall, and Fives and I went after him, acting as natural as possible. I got a few strange looks, but no one raised the alarm. It must've looked like I had just arrived, and been out in the rain. After going down numerous corridors, taking twists and turns that made almost no sense, we arrived at a seemingly unmarked, unimportant door. But when it opened and we headed inside, I gazed around in awe.

Ceiling-high towers full of information filled the room. Kaminoans worked away at the consoles, but didn't seem to take any notice of our presence, or find it our of the ordinary. AZ led us over to a specific terminal, speaking as we went, "This is the Genetic Records Hall. It contains data on the original DNA of every being we have ever cloned." He stopped in font of the terminal and set to work on the holographic console. "We will compare the tumor's DNA versus that of Jango Fett, the original donor. If any tumor like this has been noted before, we will find it. The tumor, please." Fives handed it over. Placing it on the terminal, a red exclamation point came up on screen after a moment. "Nothing."

"What?" Fives asked.

"The sample doesn't match anything found in the Jango Fett genotype. Furthermore, it is not even completely organic." Pressing another button, the display on the screen changed to show the scan from earlier. "It is foreign to the body. Someone implanted it there."

"An implant? You mean this isn't an accident? Someone did this to Tup?" Fives asked in disbelief, taking off his helmet and gesturing to the screen with his rifle.

"Precisely." AZ nodded. Glancing around the room, I became alert and wary as the Kaminoans began to leave, a few of them casting us accusing looks. My eyes widened and I turned to Fives to see he had noticed it to.

"Is there another way out of here, besides the door we came in?" He said in a hushed voice.

"Yes, there are emergency access hatches in every major room in case of flooding." AZ confirmed.

"Good." Fives put his helmet back on, masking his identity again. "Let's get moving." We ran as the door opened and we were fired on, stun blasts whizzing through the air around us. As we reached the bright yellow ladder, a blast hit my leg and I collapsed with a cry of surprise and pain. Tossing his gun to AZ, Fives pulled me to my feet and boosted me up onto the ladder. Climbing as fast as I could with only one good leg, I reached the emergency hatch and spun the lock wheel with a grunt. It swung open and I pulled myself up into the shaft. I gave my leg a shake. Completely numb. _Wonderful. _I thought drowsily. Fives and AZ appeared, the medical droid using a laser to weld the entrance shut once we were inside.

I moaned and leaned heavily on the wall, dizzy and suddenly seeing double. "Clara? Are you alright?" Fives put a hand on my shoulder to steady me.

"Mhmm." I nodded faintly. "Dizzy. That stun blast is...making it hard to stay awake." The numb feeling in my leg had now spread to my side. Had I been hit directly, I would have been knocked out.

Concern in his eyes, Fives put my arm around his shoulder and helped me limp down the passage to another ladder. "Just hang in there Clara." I scoffed quietly. _Easy for you to say. _Shaking my head to clear it, I took hold of the furthest wrung I could reach and hoisted myself up. Focusing on climbing proved to be a challenge with one leg asleep, but I managed.

"AZ, did you get all the information you needed?" I asked without looking down, passing another set of emergency shafts.

"Mostly. We know that the tumor is a foreign material and was implanted for an unknown reason. However, there is still so much we do not know about it. For example, at what stage was it introduced to clone Tup? And why?" AZ replied.

"What is this thing? Why would someone put it in Tup?" Fives said as we went by another intersection, still ascending.

"I believe this is an organic chip built out of cells." _Okay, I'm no expert, but that sounds both suspicious and dangerous. _I paused and stared down at the droid this time.

"But what's it for?" I pressed for an answer, even though I knew he probably didn't have one.

"I do not know." AZ gave the mechanical equivalent of a shrug. Noticing we were at another junction, I hopped off the ladder and quickly balanced myself on the wall until Fives helped me again. AZ handed him his gun back and we headed down the passage way.

"Ah, thanks. We need to find out if what was in Tup's head is in mine." He announced.

"We have already done a scan and-" AZ started, but Fives cut him off,

"But it was missed in Tup, and it could have been missed in me too. You have to take it out."

"We cannot be 100% sure if the chip is even there." AZ pointed out.

"I know it's there." Fives snapped.

"It is a dangerous surgery." That made him stop, and turn around to face the droid.

"Look, you got it out of Tup. You can get it out of me."

Worried, I shuffled back a step, turning Fives' attention to me. "Fives, please, listen to yourself. Listen to what you're asking. Tup died after AZ removed the chip. Maybe it's connected. You could die too."

"It's a chance I have to take." He protested.

"Fives, please!" I begged, startling both him and myself with the desperation in my tone. "We already lost Tup. I don't want to loose you too." He gave me a surprised look, which was then replaced by understanding. We had been friends for three years. We trusted one and another like actual family. He knew the toll the war - seeing so many people I cared about die - was having on me.

"I know you're scared Clara. But this has to be done. If I don't, we'll never know why Tup died. And that could put the whole army at risk." He insisted gently.

After a moment, I gave a saddened huff. "Alright. AZ?"

"I will do it." He nodded. "Let us go to a sterile facility." Following AZ, we hurried along the many corridors, just as confusing as the actual hallways. Stopping at an access hatch, I got down and opened it with minimal effort. I dropped into the stark white hall, jolting some feeling back into my leg, a pins-and-needles sensation taking over. The three of us headed over to the nearest room, AZ punching in a code while Fives and I looked around the empty passage. It felt wrong. Too quiet.

The door slid open and once inside, I locked it behind us. Handing me the rifle, Fives sat down on the examination table as AZ milled about the room. "Hold still. This will not hurt a bit." I couldn't help but give a small smile at that harmless lie.

"Ah!" Fives rubbed his neck where the medical droid had just injected him with something. I tursted AZ, but I still didn't like not knowing about the medical science here. "You do you know what you're doing, right?"

"Why, yes." AZ replied, typing into a console. "I have been programmed to perform over 100-"

"Alright, alright." Fives sighed. "Let's do this."

I turned away as he laid back, not wanting to watch the operation. For the third time in the last two days, I brought my attention to remembering these - for lack of a better term - 'episodes'. _Start with the basics. _I told myself and closed my eyes so I could concentrate. _My name is Clara Lauren Cole. I'm nineteen years old. My family died when I was little. I grew up on the street and in foster homes. _I added in something I'd forgotten - or chosen not to include - last time. _I became a soldier and a medic at the age of thirteen to fight in the war. I was transported into the universe of the kids cartoon Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I was given, and have now earned, the rank of General. I have been here for 3 years, 8 months, 16 days. These men are my brothers. These men are my family. Tup is dead. Doctor Nala Se is, now without a doubt, up to something. She's in league with Sidious and Count Dooku. We've discovered that the tumor in Tup was not natural. It was put there by someone. It has to do with..._

_It has to do with..._

"Order 66." I muttered out loud. Realizing the gravity of what I had just recalled, I spun around in a flurry of movement. "AZ, wait!" I cried, but it was too late. He had already finished the surgery. It was out of my hands now. _God damn it!_

"Clara, is there something wrong?" The droid asked innocently. I strode over to Fives' side, breathing heavily as my head pounded in time with my heart.

"N-no." I lied. "No, just - Nevermind. I'm sure it's not important." Being certain of the exact opposite, I frowned. _You remember what Order 66 is, but you can't remember __**when **__it's going to happen, or how this is linked. Well, the latter I know now. _

Fives slowly came to to find me leaning over him, a worried look on my face. I stepped back as he sat up, raising a hand to his head. I had to admit how ridiculous he looked without any hair, but I couldn't bring myself to smile. "Well? Was it was it there?" He asked.

"Yes. Identical in structure. However, it appears that the one I found in your friend had malfunctioned, while yours is perfectly intact." AZ held up both tumors so we could see the difference. While Tup's appeared to be rotting and brown, Fives' was a healthy pink-red. I raised an eyebrow, finding the difference to be startling, but didn't say anything because I knew there would be no answer to my question yet.

I folded my arms over my chest as AZ went back over to the console. "Are you sure Tup's breakdown was isolated?"

"There is no way of knowing that." AZ said. _Fantastic. _I thought sarcastically, the droid turning to Fives. "And now that we have removed your chip, we do not know what will happen to you."

I helped Fives to his feet. Other than a little unbalance from the sedative, which was quickly wearing off, the surgery didn't appear to have affected him adversely. "So then I could snap too?"

"Possibly. But when we removed the chip from Tup, he-" AZ hesitated. "I am afraid you may die as well."

Obviously not wanting to linger on that prospect, Fives reminded us of the bigger picture. "We need to know if more clones than just Tup and I have these and when we were implanted with them."

"My analysis suggests implantation took place at the earliest stage of development, most likely when you and Tup were only embryos." AZ provided.

"Then we have to start there." I nodded, determined. I handed Fives the gun and headed for the door.

"Clara," Fives called after me, "what about you?"

I froze, giving a quiet pained noise and turned back to face him. "What about me? We've confirmed it's not a virus, and I'm not a clone, so..." I shrugged, but he looked unconvinced. "Listen, alright? There could be any number of things wrong with me, but none of them are from this universe. Hell, none of you even get a common cold, and I've had one at least ten times in the last three years. I'm fine, I promise. Okay?"

He still didn't seem completely convinced, but I knew we had more important things to worry about. I strode out into the hall, giving him no other choice but to come with me. He took the lead, going down several hallways that again made almost no sense. Unless, of course, this was your home and you knew it like the back of your own hand. We reached another unfamiliar door and went inside, taking cover by the entrance. The room was filled with young cadets, working away at computers. The sight made me sad. Childhood wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't right, no matter if they were soldiers or not.

"Oh, great." Fives brought my attention back to the current situation. _Uh oh...That could be a problem. _Two Kaminoan scientists were wandering down the isle towards us. They hadn't seen us yet, but a few more seconds and they would. "Try to act normal."

"Normal?" AZ wondered as we stood and cautiously walked past the two scientists, Fives giving a salute. "Doo-da-la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la Hello!" I either wanted to kill him, facepalm, or laugh. But it appeared to do the trick as we reached the door on the far side of the room, which led into another corridor. "How was that? Was that normal?"

Fives smiled. "For you, AZ, yeah."

Glancing back, I saw the Kaminoans staring at us. One of them was holding datapad, which was flashing red. _He just let them know where we are! _Eyes widening, I rushed after Fives and AZ, who were walking into another, larger room. This one contained huge towers, at least a hundred tubes on each, and each container held a baby. _There are just some things about this universe I will never understand. _I was so focused on my surroundings that I nearly ran into Fives when he and AZ stopped in front of a terminal.

"Those Kaminoans set off a silent alarm. We have three minutes, at best, before someone shows up." I warned, watching the door. "AZ, get to work, and hurry."

"We will start with the earliest stage of development." He typed into the console and the tower spun, moving one of the containers up in front of the terminal, where another CAT-type machine scanned the baby inside. The screen blinked red. "Nothing. I will now try a stage three embryo." Again, the tower moved. This time, the screen went green. "There it is!"

Fives nodded. "Ah. Try another." Turning only slightly this time, the screen remained green as the baby was scanned.

"Based on this data, I can calculate how many in this tree are altered." AZ announced.

"I can't believe it. They all have one." I looked up, shock on my expression. _All _of them? That didn't seem possible. Much less, humane. Implanting these men with something that could make them go insane? Risky move. The floor was suddenly cast with orange light as the door opened and in walked - who would've guessed - Nala Se.

"Don't move." Fives snapped, turning his gun on her.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked calmly, still approaching.

"We know what you've done." He replied angrily.

"What is it that you think I have done?" Without lowering his gun, Fives grabbed her and pushed her in front of the terminal.

"How do you explain this?" He demanded. I stood silently, angry like Fives was, but cautious. This wasn't like him. He was upset, sure, but this was something else. _Maybe removing that chip __**wasn't **__a good idea after all. _

"That is a structural inhibitor chip, which is supposed to prevent you from being aggressive, like your source, Jango Fett. Jedi Master Syfo-Dias instructed us to implant them during your growth cycle." I almost laughed at the see-through lie. I didn't doubt the Jedi had it done, I just doubted her reasoning of its purpose.

"The Jedi? The Jedi had this done to us?" Fives said, bewildered.

"It is not uncommon to have inhibitors placed in a clone." Nala Se nodded.

"I have analyzed this one, and apparently it has failed." AZ pointed out, holding up Tup's chip.

"Up until this point, there has never been a problem." Nala Se replied, not really all that reassuringly.

I scoffed and glared at her. "Well, you have got a big problem now."

At that moment, the door opened and Master Shaak Ti ran in, accompanied by a squad of troops. Fives shoved Nala Se in front of us, keeping his gun trained on her and pulled me behind him protectively. I was a little annoyed by it, knowing full well I could take care of myself, but couldn't find it in myself to mind too much. "Drop your weapon." Shaak Ti ordered, igniting her lightsaber.

"Master Jedi, we know what's going on. We have the evidence. The Jedi instructed that inhibitor chips be implanted in us at birth, but Tup's malfunctioned. That's what made him lose control." Fives explained.

"Where is the evidence?" She demanded.

AZ pulled out the chip and showed her. "I have it right here. As you can see, the chip taken from clone trooper Tup is black and rotting, indicating a malfunction of some sort."

Shaak Ti looked back to us, some understanding in her gaze. "What caused the malfunction?"

I stepped around Fives, speaking up, "It doesn't matter. The fact is, Tup's chip malfunctioned, and it drove him insane. These chips have to be removed, otherwise the entire Republic Army could be compromised."

"There is no proof of that. This is an isolated incident. Besides, when you removed trooper Tup's chip, he died." Nala Se said.

"Well, that's not going to happen to the rest of us." Fives countered.

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I removed mine."

Shaak Ti's eyes widened in surprise. AZ held up Fives' chip this time. "Here is clone trooper Fives' chip. As you can see, there is no sign of malfunction in either him or the chip."

"By removing your chip, you are a threat. Master Jedi, we must terminate this trooper immediately." Nala Se insisted.

"I am not a piece of hardware! I'm a living being!" Fives yelled.

"You were created in our laboratories. You are Kaminoan property!" Nala Se corrected.

Shaak Ti disengaged her lightsaber and gestured to Fives. "Correction: technically, he is property of the Republic."

"That does not change the fact that he is a danger and must be terminated."

"I believe that's for me to decide. Fives, you are coming with me to Coruscant. I think it's time you told your story to the Chancellor." Shocked, I looked back at Fives and grinned. He was going to be heard. He smiled back at me and lowered his rifle.

"Master Jedi, I beg you to reconsider!" Nala Se pleaded

"The Chancellor wanted all the data on Tup to be sent to Coruscant. We're sending the data, the tumor, and Fives along with it. Clara, you as well." I whipped back around and stared at her, but she just gave a reassuring smile in return.

"Then I am going with you." Nala Se said.

"As you wish, Doctor." Shaak Ti nodded. The doors opened, and a gurney was brought in, escorted by more troops. Handing his gun off to one of them, he sat down before turning to Shaak Ti.

"Thank you for believing in me, General."

"It is not a matter of belief, Fives. It is simply the right thing to do." Shaak Ti replied calmly.

"It looks like you got what you wanted." AZ piped up, hovering beside me as Fives laid back on the gurney.

Fives smiled fully now. "Thanks to you. I'll see you on the other side."

"The other side of what?" The droid questioned, obviously confused.

Fives chuckled and I shook my head with a giggle. "Ah, droids." As I turned to follow Shaak Ti out of the room, Fives grabbed my arm. "Clara. Thank you for helping me, for trusting me." Putting a hand over his, my smile didn't waver, even though the ever-present uneasiness was at an all time high. For now, I let myself believe that everything was going to be okay.

"That's what family's for."


	6. Chapter 6

"Attention. Please be advised we have arrived at Coruscant and will be touching down at our destination shortly."

The shuttle pilot's voice came over the intercom, waking me from the small nap I'd been taking. I yawned, and stretched my arms above my head, blinking the weariness from my heavy eyelids. I had been utterly exhausted, and had nodded off not long after we'd left Kamino. Pushing myself up, I gave a small smile at the fact that I could feel my leg again.

My relief faded when I noticed Doctor Nala Se glancing around to see if anyone was watching her. Averting my gaze for a moment to make it seem like I wasn't paying attention, I continued to observe her actions warily out the corner of my eye. She leaned over to take something from the tray of medical tools beside her, and as she straightened, I recognized it. My eyes widened in horror.

She was holding a needle.

Thinking quickly, I grabbed her arm. "What are you doing?" I demanded quietly. She glared at me, but didn't say anything.

Then, faster than I could react, she jabbed the needle into my neck.

Swatting her away, I stumbled back. I tossed the needle aside and rubbed the sore spot on my neck. "What was that?" A sudden wave of dizziness and nausea made my knees buckle. I grabbed Fives' gurney to steady myself. Looking up at the Kaminoan, my vision turned fuzzy. "You drugged me."

_Better me than Fives. _I thought weakly. I tried to call out to Master Shaak Ti, but all I could manage was a strangled groan. Instead, I took deep breaths to calm myself down and figure out what it was she had given me. A sedative? No, I didn't feel tired. Weak, dizzy, disoriented, nauseous. A toxin of some sort? That seemed more likely. _I just have to hang on. Dying here is **not **an option__ Clara_.

Even if I _was_ dying, I could still help Fives, and plead our case to the Republic. There was a small jolt as we landed at the Republic Medical Facility. The cargo door lowered, and I followed behind the group, struggling to keep my footing.

"Greetings, Master Jedi. The Chancellor is waiting inside." Mas Amedda, the Vice Chancellor, greeted us outside the facility. We were led inside, down a hallway and into a medical room I recognized all too well from Episode III.

The Chancellor stood waiting, accompanied by his personal guard. "Master Shaak Ti, it is good to see you again. I trust you've kept this matter extremely confidential."

"Of course, Chancellor." Shaak Ti replied as Fives' gurney was placed on the room's examination table.

"Ah, good. So this is the clone who has caused so much alarm?" The Chancellor asked as the table turned vertical, putting Fives in an upright position. I stayed by his side, hands clasped behind my back as I tried to stay alert. Fives seemed just as bad as me, which was surprising. _Did she drug him while I was asleep? _I wondered. It was entirely possible, but then why had she been trying to give him another drug? Maybe the first one wasn't strong enough to kill him? "There, there, soldier. Don't strain yourself."

Blinking, Fives' gaze became more clear. "Sir."

"Guards, let him down, please." The restraints were removed, and Fives stumbled onto his feet. "Now, trooper, what brings you before me?"

"The chips, Chancellor." Fives said.

"Chips?" The Chancellor didn't look very confused at that.

"These were removed from both clone troopers." Shaak Ti explained, holding up both slides, showing the Chancellor the tumors. "Clone trooper Fives claims they are the cause of the problem."

"Those are inhibitor chips, which are placed in clones to make them less aggressive and more compliant to orders. I tried to explain to this clone that they are placed in them for his own good, but he removed his chip nonetheless." Nala Se added.

Fives turned to her in anger. "Our own good? This thing they put in us malfunctioned in clone trooper Tup. I removed his and analyzed it. There were signs of rapid decay."

"And we're positive this has nothing to do with a virus?" The Chancellor questioned, bringing the two back to the matter at hand before a heated argument could break out.

"No, we still do not know for sure what caused trooper Tup to kill. We only know that his chip failed, and now this clone has removed his own chip, which makes him a risk to himself and others." Nala Se said coldly.

"I'm not at risk." Fives protested. "Sir, they're covering something up. I know it. If it's not them, then it's a Separatist plot. They use this chip against us to make us more violent than less. That's why Tup killed General Tiplar!"

"A Separatist plot from before the war even started? That seems unlikely." The Chancellors tone was...dramatic. Exasperated. _Remember, he is kinda the Dark Lord of the Sith. _"Don't you agree, Master Shaak Ti?"

"It does, Chancellor. It seems very unlikely." Shaak Ti nodded.

"It is absolutely impossible. What we have here is a single malfunction to one clone's inhibitor chip caused by a virus, Separatist plot or not." Nala Se agreed.

After pausing a moment in which a dark look passed over his expression, the Chancellor turned to Shaak Ti and Nala Se. "Perhaps it would be best if clone trooper Fives and I discussed this without your presence."

Shaak Ti gave him a surprised look. "Chancellor, I must object."

"Please, Master Jedi. Trust me. I will not be alone. I have my security here. I want this soldier to feel he is having a fair say in this matter." The Chancellor insisted. Shaak Ti hesitated before striding out of the room, Nala Se following.

"With all due respect sir, I served with Tup and Fives. I was with them on Kamino the whole time. I'll stay." I attempted to sound polite, but it was difficult. I didn't miss the light glare the Chancellor gave me before he smiled,

"General Clara Cole, am I correct?" I gave a firm nod, hands behind my back clenching. "I have no doubt you know the story yourself my dear." I could practically _feel_ the sarcasm behind that title. "But certain..._perspectives _may be different. I will speak with clone trooper Fives first, then with you."

"Of course sir." I nodded. Casting Fives an apologetic look, I stepped out into the hallway. I heaved a heavy sigh, sitting down on the floor and bringing my knees up to my chest. _You can do this Clara. Stay focused. You can get through this._ I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my head in the space I'd created. If I had been given a toxin, it's effects were slow. Maybe that was the point. Kill me slowly. I winced at that idea, drawing my legs closer. _  
_

After a few minutes of silence, suddenly, two blaster shots sounded from the medical bay and we all heard the Chancellor yell, "No! Let me go! Guards!" Leaping to my feet, I slammed my hand against the controls. The door opened to reveal Fives knocking one of the Chancellor's security unconscious before turning on the Chancellor, lifting a gun.

"No! You!" Fives looked enraged. From the doorway, Shaak Ti threw Fives across the room with the Force. Thinking I could help, I ran over to him. The next thing I knew, Fives was pulling my hands behind my back and pressing the gun to my head. Everyone in the room froze as I was apparently taken hostage. I didn't get a chance to say anything, because I then found myself being dragged out of the room and down another corridor. Twisting out of Fives' grasp, I paused. Without so much as a glance back, he kept running.

"How are we gonna get outta this one?" I groaned in frustration as I took off after him. I fell into step beside him as we sprinted down the stairs. He gave me a surprised look, and I smiled. "I'm not going to let you do this alone."

"Fives! Clara! Stop!" We heard Master Shaak Ti call from high above us, but neither of us slowed down. We got to the ground floor and entered a large room, like a hospital reception area. Shoving people and machines aside, we made a beeline for the main doors. Vaulting over a gurney, I spun around and helped Fives to his feet when he fell. The blast doors began to close, and the two of us dove outside just as they slammed shut.

Breathing heavily, we took this opportunity at a brief respite. "Fives, what happened in there?" I asked, still short of breath.

"I'll explain on the way. Come on." He waved for me to follow him as he took off running again. Taking a deep breath, I went after him, just desperate to get away from the facility.

* * *

Once we were on the relatively-safer city streets of Coruscant, we were able to walk normally and blend in with the crowd. Or at least, I was. We both knew we were wanted fugitives now, but I knew more about hiding my identity than Fives. I paid a sketchy-looking man on the street to cut and dye my hair. Was I sure I wouldn't go bald? No. But it would be easier for us to move freely if no one recognized me.

Now sporting a boy-ish like hair cut, bleached to almost white and new, baggy street clothes, I felt more at home than I had for the past three years. _Fives, former GAR officer, wanted for attempting to assassinate Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and for the kidnapping of General Clara Cole. _The news flash I'd seen on the way here. It made no sense. Palpatine wanted us both out of the picture. So why not frame me too? _Well, technically, you have been framed. _Wandering the street sidewalks, alert for any security, the two of us struggled to keep our strength up. It was obvious now that he had been drugged as well, but with something less lethal than what I had been given. The veins in my arm and the left side of my face had turned a dark green color, but it wasn't noticeable unless you looked hard enough.

A strong wave of dizziness, more intense than before washed over me and I stumbled. I grabbed onto the sidewalk barrier for support, swaying slightly. Fives did the same beside me. To any passer by, we probably looked wasted. It was at this time that Fives noticed the unnatural color of my blood. "Clara, you - " He started.

" - look dreadful?" I gave a humorless laugh. "I know. Nala Se drugged us both on the way here. She gave you something when I was sleeping. Some sort of mild toxin. She was going to administer a lethal dose when I woke up, but she injected me instead when I tried to stop her."

Anger made his eyes narrow, but his gaze became guilt-ridden when I coughed. "Clara, I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

"Fives, don't." I snapped, then softened my tone. "Don't apologize. I made my choice to help you, and I don't regret it. And until I pass out, I'm not going to give up. We're going to get to the bottom of this, I promise. Everything's going to be okay." I pushed myself back and spotted a cab hovering near by, waiting for a fare. "Now come on. We've got to find someone who'll believe us."

I took a step and collapsed, face first onto the pavement. Embarrassment wasn't really at the top of my worries. If I was too dizzy and sick to walk, then what? Startled and annoyed pedestrians cursed at me, making a wide birth. I suddenly found myself in Fives' arms as he picked me up bridal-style. I gave a weak laugh, smiling this time. "My hero." I joked. He set me down in the cab and climbed in beside me.

"Heya, pal. Where to?" The cabbie, an alien I swore looked like a chipmunk, asked.

"Take us to 79's." Fives replied, casting me a worried glance.

"The clone bar? Oh, you're a clone, huh?" The cabbie looked back at us and apparently didn't notice how sick I was, or just didn't care.

"Look, just shut up and drive!" Fives said impatiently.

"Okay, you got it." The cabbie nodded. I gave a weak groan and closed my eyes, curling up and leaning against Fives as the cab took off through the busy skyline. He put an arm around me to try and give me some comfort. "So headin' out for a little fun on the town, eh? I didn't know clones could have fun."

Fives sighed. "There's a lot you don't know about clones. No one knows."

The cabbie didn't seem phased. "Ooh, very mysterious, eh? I like a good mystery."

"Yeah? You ever hear the one about the people engineered to kill, engineered to kill their best friends, their leaders, and they don't even know it?" Opening my eyes a bit, I nudged him. I knew he was upset, but if he gave away our identities, we were screwed.

"I'm a cab driver, pal. I hear stories like that all the time." The cabbie chuckled. Two minutes later, the cab slowed to a stop. Opening my eyes, I sat up and looked around. We were on the edge of the city, and I could hear muffled music coming from inside the building we'd pulled up at. A club, undoubtedly. _Military bars. _I rolled my eyes as Fives got out and helped me onto the platform. The cabbie called after us, "Hey, you payin' for this ride or what?"

"Ah, bill it to the Republic." Fives replied.

A drunk clone put an arm around Fives, laughing. "Bill it to the Republic. Good one, brother!"

"Lousy, cheap clones!" The cabbie yelled angrily.

"It's your credit, pal. You're payin' for this." Another drunk man pointed out.

"Ah, your mother's a droid!" I smirked at that insult. The wasted men threw their bottles at the cab as it sped off, some shattering and others falling harmlessly.

"Come on, brother. Let's go inside." The man with his arm around Fives turned, taking him along and I followed as we went inside.

"Corporal, that's a nice hat you got there. Mind if I see it?" Fives said. Nodding, the man took off his cap and handed it to Fives, who put it on, cleverly covering the number 5 that was tattooed on his temple. The men wandered off, leaving us standing by the entrance.

It was claustrophobic. It smelled. Worst of all, it was loud. A bar, and I would rather be standing behind the dumpsters at the local Chinese restaurant back home. Men were everywhere, mingling with dancers, chatting with each other, having fun and getting drunk. Music blared around the room, worsening my headache and making my stomach churn. Bright neon lights flashed, blinding me quite a bit. Vid screen on the walls were playing different live sports, but I only recognized Podracing and Bolo Ball.

Scanning the faces in the crowd, I spotted two familiar people at the far end of the bar. "Kix, Jesse." Fives muttered. We watched as Kix got up and headed to the washroom.

"Go on." I gestured to Fives to follow him. "I'll wait here." He hesitated, giving me a worried look. "I won't die if you go talk to him for a minute. Try to get him to contact Rex or Anakin." He nodded and headed off as I turned away. Taking a seat at the bar, I waved off a bartender who came to see if I wanted anything. Furrowing my brow, I buried my face in my hands.

"Identification, please."

My head snapped up and I looked around. A few feet away, one of the Chancellor's personal troops was talking to another clone, showing him a hologram of Fives and I. Bowing my head to avoid detection, I sighed in relief when he walked past without noticing me. _Hurry up Fives. _I pleaded silently.

Someone tapped my shoulder, and I glanced back before turning completely. Shakily getting to my feet, Fives and I headed for the exit. I nearly tripped over someone's feet, twice. Taking Fives' hand, I let him lead me back out into the cool city night air. I hid my panic when I saw another guard checking IDs on the platform, but instead of hailing a cab, we 'borrowed' a Citibike from near by. Firing the engine, I took it as a good sign that no one tried to stop us. But I didn't account for the idea of being followed.

* * *

We took off and flew through the busy streets towards the closest entrance to the Coruscant underground. Descending into the dark, wide tunnel, we stopped at a warehouse on the edge of level 18. I climbed off and immediately fell over again. When Fives went to help me, he stumbled and fell as well, leaning on the Citibike for support. _Come on Clara, hold it together._

With a groan, I shoved myself off the ground and pulled Fives up, putting his arm around my shoulders. We stumbled together towards the empty warehouse, leaning on each other for support. Walking inside, I gazed around, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. Crates filled the abandoned building, giving us more than enough room to hide. I plopped down a ways away from the entrance, Fives supporting himself on the crates beside me.

"Clara, are you okay?" Fives asked gently.

I gave a small laugh. "You're asking me?" I sighed shakily, then became serious. "Headache, chest and stomach pain, dizziness, extremely weak. I don't - I don't think I can stand anymore. I don't think I'm going to last much longer."

We fell silent as there was the sound of a lightsaber igniting, and a soft blue glow reached us. Rex and Anakin had actually come. I felt a smile light up my face and gave Fives a hopeful look.

"Fives? Clara? We're here. Come on out. We just want to talk to you." Anakin called. Nodding to Fives, I crawled as best I could around to one of the building support pillars, leaning back. I wiped the sweat from my forehead as Fives spoke from a few feet away,

"General Skywalker, thank you. Thank you for trusting us. Now, have you come without troops?"

"We have." Anakin reassured.

"Put down your weapons, then." Fives said, voice echoing around the warehouse to mask our location.

"I don't think so, Fives." Anakin replied.

I mustered up the strength to yell. "Anakin, Rex, please!" The action hurt my chest, and I gave a whimper of pain that echoed as loudly as my voice. "Please, we're unarmed."

"Clara, is that you?" _Of course it's me, dumbass. _I gave a small sound of affirmation, which was closely followed by the hiss of Anakin's lightsaber disengaging.

"Alright. I'm putting my pistols down." Rex announced loudly.

"Clara, Fives, what are we here for?"

"We need your help."

"I know you do. We know you're not well. It's been rough for you both these past couple days." They were getting closer. They would find us soon enough, and then we would be killed, and it would be deemed an accident. No one would know the truth. No one would know who the Chancellor was, or about Order 66.

"I'm not crazy!" Fives cried desperately, moving to stand beside me. "Please, please, just - just hear what we have to say."

"We're here to help you, Fives. Just come with us. Let us take you back to the Temple." Anakin suggested calmly. Dialing a code into the keypad above me, a ray-shield sprang to life, trapping Anakin and Rex where they were. "No!" I cringed, knowing that probably wasn't the best idea after all if we wanted them to listen.

With the last of my strength, I hoisted myself to my feet and shuffled into the light being emitted by the shield. "A-Anakin, R-Rex, we j-just need you to - to listen to us. Please." I begged weakly, knees bent as I struggled to stay upright.

"I'm not really sure we have any other choice Clara." Anakin crossed his arms.

Fives came to stand beside me. "We were framed! Because we know the truth! The truth about a plot, a massive deception."

"By whom?" Rex demanded.

"Well, there's a sinister plot in the works against the Jedi. I have proof of it. I can prove that everything that we know is true beyond a shadow of a doubt!" Fives said.

"Show me the evidence." Anakin pressed.

"The evidence is in here. It's it's in here. It's in all of us, every clone." Fives tapped the side of his head, speaking frantically. I was worried that the drug was starting to affect his composure. He wasn't really making sense now, even to me .

"What is it?" Neither of them looked like they believed us much.

Calming slightly, Fives rested his forehead on his arm, leaning against another post. "Organic chips built into our genetic code to make us do whatever someone wants, even kill the Jedi. It's all in here." He explained.

Anakin sighed, trying the diplomatic approach again. "Let's just get you two some help first. Then we can review everything. It'll be okay. We'll sort this out."

"Ah, you don't believe me!" Fives yelled angrily. Struggling forward, I put a hand on his shoulder, indicating he should let me talk for a minute.

I put as much strength and force behind my tone as I could. "Rex, Anakin, please." I began softly. "We're telling the truth. I know how crazy it sounds. I know you think there's something wrong with us, and you just want to help. But we're not making this up. Why would we lie to you? Why would we move heaven and earth to get you to come here, and then lie?" I took a deep breath and admitted what I never had. "I'm not one to be afraid, and you know that. But right now? I'm terrified."

"We are listening to you." Rex insisted.

Fives spoke before I could reply. "How do I know you're not tricking me? How do I know it won't be a trap? The Chancellor will try to kill us. I promise you that!"

Anakin looked startled by that statement. "The Chancellor?"

Fives paced around the shield, and I could hear the desperation in his tone growing with every word. "He's in on it! I don't know to what extent. But I know he orchestrated much of this. He told me in the medical bay!"

"He told you? When you tried to assassinate him? You have gone too far, Fives. The Chancellor isn't capable of what you claim." Anakin said, sounding angry and confused.

"He is." I confirmed, nodding. "I swear to you, Anakin. You have no idea - "

"Stand down, soldier! Stand down! Get on your knees!"

Whirling around, Fives and I found ourselves cornered in between the ray-shield and a squad of the Chancellor's men, led by Commander Fox. I shared a quick, helpless glance with Fives, realizing we had no where to run. It was over. We had tried, but it was over.

"No! No! No! Stay back!" Fives looked around, his gaze coming to rest on Rex's pistols, still sitting on top of one of the crate. I shook my head, knowing was he was thinking.

"Don't do it! Don't do it, soldier!" Fox warned, still charging towards us.

Fives shoved me to the ground, out of harms way and grabbed one of the guns, raising it in defense. "Get away from us!" Seeing the gun in his hand, Fox reacted...

And the shot was fired.

Frozen in shock, I watched the blue laser pass clean through Fives' chest, leaving a smoking, cauterized hole in its wake. He dropped the pistol at the sudden pain. It clattered to the ground, the sound seeming impossibly loud. "FIVES!" I screamed, broken out of my stupor as he collapsed on his side on the ground. Fear settled in my stomach as I scrambled to my feet and got down beside him. My hands hovered over him for a moment, trembling and unsure of what to do. I rolled him onto his back as he jerked in pain, gasping for breath. "Call for help! We need a medic!" I looked up a Fox desperately, but he didn't move.

"Clara..." Fives chocked out. Turning my attention back to him, I gathered my best friend in my arms.

"Shhh. Shhh, you're going to be fine. You hear me Fives? You're going to be fine." I soothed, but my voice was shaking. Rex got down across from me. I hadn't even realized that Fox had shut the ray-shield down.

"Rex." Fives groaned. "This, it's...bigger than any of us...than anything I-I could have imagined. I-I never meant to - I only wanted to do my duty. Clara..." He reached up a hand, and I took it, holding onto him tightly. "Thank you. For everything. I'm sorry I...dragged you...into this..." I shook my head, giving a pained smile. Fives' eyes closed, his breathing labored.

"Fives. Stay with me, Fives! Fives!" Rex shook him, his voice hitching slightly in panic. Tears fell silently down my cheeks as Fives' eyes fluttered open again.

"The mission...the nightmares...they're...finally...over." He breathed. His eyes flickered closed, and his head fell limply to the side, his chest still. Rex moved back, grief on his expression as I shook Fives in disbelief.

"Fives? Come on, Fives, don't go! Stay with me. No...Fives! Fives! Please!" My pleas fell on unhearing ears. I began to weep, harsh and hoarse sobs forcing themselves from my throat as I cradled his broken body. Pressure welled up in my chest, making it hard to breathe. It grew and grew until I screamed in pure anguish, tears running thick and fast down my face. This wasn't fair. We'd come so far. We'd tried so hard. But no one wanted to listen to the truth, it seemed.

After a long, silent minute, I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Clara," Rex started but I didn't let him finish, whipping my head up. He reeled back in shock. I probably looked like a zombie, or close too it.

"No!" I hollered, suddenly seething in anger. "He didn't deserve this! He was trying to protect me! He wouldn't have fired! He wouldn't have..." I trailed off, sobbing again. I bowed my head, sniffling. "It's not fair! It's not fair..." My voice broke. My anger vanished, replaced by pain and grief. I shuffled back onto my knees and cried hard, burying my face in my hands. I cried myself hoarse, until no more tears would fall. But it didn't seem to matter. Cruel, heartless God laughed at my misery and pain. Fives was gone. Nothing would bring him back.

I dropped my hand to my knees and sat quietly, only sniffling every so often. I found myself remembering all the way back to the first time I'd met Fives, three years ago. He and his brother Echo had been sitting alone in the mess after we'd picked them up from the Rishi moon outpost, or what had been left of it. I remembered making the decision to go sit and talk with them. Ever since, Fives had been like an older brother. He looked out for me, protected me. And I'd done the same for him.

Without lifting my head, I reached out and put a hand on his chest, as if the simple gesture would some how wake him up. _Brother and sister. We'd been brother and sister. _I thought. _And we always will be. _I found myself recalling the lyrics of some song I'd forgotten the name of, speaking them in my mind.

_It's too far, it's too fast_  
_It's too quick and it won't last_  
_Isn't that right but it's not wrong_  
_There's no time, move along_

_But I've come much too far_  
_And I know what's in my heart_  
_And I know what I feel_  
_I can tell when it is real_  
_My time has come_

Upon hearing the sound of sirens, I glanced up through my eyelashes. I couldn't bring myself to care that I might be arrested, or that the medics might take me away to be examined. Nothing mattered anymore.

_It's okay, be afraid_  
_It's alright you just take that fear_  
_Turn it in to your strength_  
_It's called life and that's why we're here_

_Now I've come much too far_  
_And I know what's in my heart_  
_And I know what I feel_  
_And this time I know it's real_  
_My time has come_

I had told Rex and Anakin that I was terrified. And I truthfully was. Or, had been. I'd let that fear control me, and Fives had paid the price. I hadn't pushed hard enough. I hadn't been determined enough. I hadn't bee strong enough.

_And like the road below me_  
_I know I'll touch the sky above_  
_A million footprints around me_  
_Tell me it can be done_  
_My time has come_

_Now I've come much too far_  
_And I know what's in my heart_  
_'Cause I know what I feel_  
_And this time I know it's real_  
_My time has come_

It should have been me. I was the one who knew. If all the knowledge I had died with me, the universe would have been better off. Scooting a little closer to Fives' body, I sang quietly, like I had before my sister died,

"It's so close, it's been a long time comin'  
It's here and now and I know it'll last  
It's so right that it can't be wrong  
Now's the time for me to be strong

Now I've come much too far  
And I know what's in my heart  
And I know what I feel  
This time I know it's real  
My time has come

I know that I just gotta keep movin' on  
I know what's in my heart  
My time has come"

Giving a shaking sigh, I leaned over and kissed my brother's forehead, the last of my tears falling. "Ah, Fives." I whispered, a sad smile drawn on my face. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

I heard footsteps on the floor behind me, and Anakin put a hand on my shoulder. "Clara?" I didn't respond, I didn't even give any indication that I'd heard him. I gazed over at Rex to see him shake his head sadly.

"I think she's in shock sir." He said.

Then someone was taking my arm and pulling me up. My knees buckled and I almost collapsed again, but the medic helping me held me upright. Taking slow, baby steps, I eventually made it out onto the platform. There were two police shuttles, and a paramedic. Bathed in red and blue light, I was led to the medical transport and seated. A bright yellow blanket was put around my shoulders, but I couldn't feel its warmth. I stared at the ground, shutting everything else out.

"Ma'am?" The medic asked loudly. "Ma'am, can you hear me? Just nod if you can." I tilted my head ever so slightly, but he noticed, and jotted it down on a datapad. "Do you know what happened to you?"

I guessed he was talking about the green color of most of my face and body. "Poison." I muttered.

"Do you know what kind ma'am?" I shook my head. He gave me an injection, but I didn't so much as wince at the pain. I felt completely numb, but it wasn't because of the toxin. Looking up, I saw Rex and Anakin talking off to the side, watching me with concern. "Ma'am, I need you to focus, alright?" A methodical nod. "Are you in any pain?" Another nod. I had been in pain the last time I could feel it. "Where?" Gestures to my chest and head. "Are you feeling dizzy? Nauseous?" Nod again, to both. He didn't seem to mind that I wasn't speaking. "That injection I gave you, is it helping?" I didn't know really, but I assumed it was, so I nodded once more.

I watched as Fives' body was brought out on a gurney, covered in white cloth. They loaded it into the medical transport behind me. "Ma'am?" I turned back to face the civilian medic as he placed a hand on my arm comfortingly. "You're safe now. Everything's going to be alright."

There it was again. That lie. That horrible, terrible lie. The lie everyone told themselves. The lie I'd been hiding behind. I couldn't take it anymore. I felt myself breaking apart. My head snapped up, eyes wide. I probably looked insane.

"Liar!" I yelled, shoving the man back with renewed strength.

Throwing the blanket off me, I jumped to my feet and ran for where the Citibike was hidden. "Clara, wait!" I heard someone call. Rex? Anakin? I didn't care. I mounted the small vehicle and took off deeper into Coruscant's underground, the platform getting smaller and smaller as I left it behind. My goal was simple. I was shattering, and didn't want those around me I loved to see me do so. I had to get away. Somewhere I couldn't hurt anyone. Somewhere no one had to trust me, and somewhere I could trust no one. Somewhere the pain of loss would fade. Somewhere no one would ever find me.

And where better than the dangerous streets I called home?


	7. Chapter 7: Explanation

After getting a review telling me how confusing some aspects of the story - especially the character of Clara - are, I feel I owe everyone a little background and explanation. Lets do this Q/A style.

* * *

**Q: Why are your chapters basically a copy'n'paste of the episode, with your character shoved in?**

**A: **Ahaha, yes. The somewhat 'novelization' of the Order 66 arc. Yes, it is exactly the same, with my character thrown in. And I realize some people may not like that. I am sorry if it seems dull, but the fact that there are no changes to events is essential to my character. I'll get to that in a sec. But the line-stealing? Yeah, I have no excuse for that. I can only offer another apology, and try to rewrite with a bit more creativity and originality.

**Q: Why is you story only about the Order 66 arc of Season 6?**

**A: **Now, if you read my disclaimer all the way through, you know that this story is part of a larger one I'm working on. Writers block is the bane of my existence, and so far, I have not been able to come up with a beginning for the main story. I am working on it though. It's only season 6 because it's the most recent I've seen, and this snippet was originally for a friend to read. I was going to take it down as soon as they were done reading it, and I didn't expect anyone else to take interest in it. It's only the Order 66 arc because that's all I could see my character participating in episode-wise. Original storyline-wise?...That's another matter entirely.

**Q: Who in the world is Clara? Is she a Jedi? If so, why does everyone treat her like just another member of the army?**

**A: **So, my character. Clara Lauren Cole. Firstly, she is **NOT **a Jedi. No ability with the Force whatsoever.

Clara is a normal girl from Earth, who lived during/post World War III (because we all know it's gonna happen someday). Her parents died when she was little, and she lived on the streets and in foster homes until the war started. At that time, she was thirteen. She joined the army (age restriction has gone kaput at this time) and became a soldier and a medic. Sound Mary-Sue ish? That's not my intention, I swear.

Clara was transported to the universe of Star Wars the Clone Wars but I'm not really sure _how _yet. Bare with me. She's seen most of, if not all, the episodes and movies, and therefore knows a lot of major, future events. Sound even **more **Mary-Sue ish? It did to me too when I first thought of it. But, Clara decides she'll inform people she knows what's going to happen in general, but she won't tell people about specific events for fear of changing them and causing more harm than good. Confused? Look at it like this. If you knew 9/11 was going to happen months, weeks, days in advance, you would tell someone right? But what if, in telling people, you unintentionally made things worse, or no one listened to you? _That _is what Clara's afraid of. Selfish? Maybe. But she's seen death, both caused by her and by others, her whole life.

Who does Clara inform of her knowledge? The Jedi Council, of course. Not the Senate, because who would want a bunch of politics in Star Wars?! Heh, yeah. So, the Council, most of the Jedi and a couple other people she trusts (the 501st, mostly) either know, or figure it out.

**Q: You mentioned she was General. How come, if she's not a Jedi?**

**A: **Clara was literally bestowed with the rank of General, based on the fact that she knew almost everything about people and events. It's a token title (if this makes sense to anyone other than me, think of the character Garrus from the video game Mass Effect 3). And no, Clara isn't happy about it. But, throughout her four years in the Clone Wars, she eventually decides that she's earned it.

**Q: Why is Clara with the 501st?**

**A: **Because they're my favorite.

No? Not a good enough reason? Shucks darn.

Okay, I haven't completely figured this one out yet either, but I have it in my mind that Clara was allowed to choose where she went, and with whom. She just ended up tagging along with the 501st most of the time.

I have no better explanation for that at the moment.

**Q: Is this 'larger story' you mentioned going to be posted?**

**A: **Not sure. More likely than not, no. Why? Because I am _very _shy about my writing. Like I said before, the only reason this one is up is so that a friend could read it. I'll take this one down eventually. Or I may add to it. As I'm still trying to _start _my main story, it may take a while for it to appear, if at all.

* * *

That's all I can think of as being confusing aspects. If you have any more questions, please feel free to PM me.


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